The Softies on their latest record, ‘The Bed I Made’ : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast

Sometimes you just need a hug, and that’s exactly what The Softies‘ music feels like.

Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia formed the band in the mid-’90s in Portland, Ore., and they released an EP and three albums of warm, cozy songs about love, crushes and heartbreak before taking a pause at the turn of the millennium.

But their friendship was always the basis of the band, and it kept going strong as their lives changed, relationships began and ended, and even when they moved to different cities.

Now, The Softies have returned with their first album in 24 years, called The Bed I Made, and listening to it is a lot like picking up with an old friend exactly where you left off, like no time has passed.

In this session, Rose and Jen talk about why it was time to make a new record, what’s been happening in their lives, and what it felt like to come back to songwriting, as a duo. They also talk about their early days in Portland, the Riot grrrl movement, and their friendship with Elliott Smith.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.