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The editorial note for Soft Punk’s fourth issue is addressed not to a human but to a dog. Written by editor-in-chief Jacob Barnes, the note is set out as a ‘defence of uncertainty’, cataloguing the ills of modern life but advising the dog to brave it anyway: “Willow, you have entered a world in which life is hard but it can be Oh so good.”
An experimental literary magazine that launched in 2020, Soft Punk masters the difficult art of being serious and stupid at the same time. There are some fantastic pieces of art here. One highlight is a series of intimate photographs by Lisette Poole, of people in Cuba dancing and embracing and lying on the beach. What I love about these images is the dynamism of the compositions. In the first spread, we see a strangely dislocated beach scene: one man stands back, his arms folded; another holds his cup out, demandingly, for a refill.
Another wonderful feature is a series of sexy bath drawings by Frances Waite. My favourite is titled, simply, ‘Butt Suds’.
Below, I’ve photographed some of the most beautiful pages.
