Soft Control

Soft Control
Studio album by
The Afghan Whigs
ReleasedAugust 21, 2026 (2026-08-21)
GenreAlternative rock
Length36:46
Labels
  • Royal Cream
  • BMG
Producers
The Afghan Whigs chronology
How Do You Burn?
(2022)		 Soft Control
(2026)
Singles from Soft Control
  1. "House of I"
    Released: March 19, 2026
  2. "Duvateen"
    Released: April 23, 2026
  3. "Jungle Roux"
    Released: June 3, 2026
  4. "My Lover"
    Released: July 22, 2026

Soft Control is the tenth studio album by American alternative rock band the Afghan Whigs. The album was released on August 21, 2026 through Royal Cream under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management, marking their first album release since 2022’s How Do You Burn?.

Four singles were released by the band ahead of the album’s release: “House of I,” “Duvateen,” “Jungle Roux,” and “My Lover," ” with “Loose Talk” as the single alongside the album’s release.

The Afghan Whigs supported the album release with the “Soft Control Tour 2026” across Europe supported by Ed Harcourt, and the United States supported by Night Moves.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100
Review scores
SourceRating
The Fire Note4.5/5
MojoStarStarStarStar
New Noise MagazineStarStarStarStar
Pitchfork7.7/10
Scummy Water TowerStarStarStarStarHalf star
The TimesStarStarStarStar
Uncut8/10

Soft Control received critical acclaim from several music outlets upon release, including a 7.7 review from Pitchfork and 4 out of 5 star review from The Times. Mojo praised the album for “refining [the band’s] glittering but noirish template of temple-tightening, heart-clenching psychodramas” in their review.

Track Listing

All tracks are written by Greg Dulli.

Soft Control
No.TitleLength
1."Jungle Roux"3:07
2."House of I"3:05
3."Duvateen"4:11
4."My Lover"2:37
5."The Deepest Part of the Darkest Shadow"4:18
6."Mariah Luster"3:31
7."Memphis, Texas"3:27
8."77"2:55
9."Loose Talk"3:25
10."A Simulation"6:10
Total length:36:46

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Tidal.

The Afghan Whigs

Additional contributors

  • Greg Wieczorek – drums, percussion, vocals
  • John Webber – mastering
  • Ian Fogarty – additional engineering
  • Jon Skibic – additional engineering
  • Kevin Ratterman – additional engineering

Charts

Chart performance for Soft Control
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)21
French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) 41
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)57
UK Album Downloads (Official Charts)29
UK Albums Chart Update (Official Charts) 62
UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)9
UK Physical Albums (Official Charts) 27
UK Record Store Albums (Official Charts) 15
UK Vinyl Albums (Official Charts) 31
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)36

References

  1. ↑ Bland, Travis (3 June 2026). "The Afghan Whigs Announce New Album Soft Control and 2026 Tour Dates". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Reynolds, Wyoming (21 August 2026). "The Afghan Whigs Walk Us Through the Inspiration for Each Song on Their New LP Soft Control". Flood Magazine. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  3. ↑ Jones, Abby (19 March 2026). "The Afghan Whigs – "House Of I"". Stereogum. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  4. ↑ DeVille, Chris (24 April 2026). "The Afghan Whigs – "Duvateen"". Stereogum. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  5. ↑ Stout, Brian (5 June 2026). "The Afghan Whigs Hint at a Reckoning on "Jungle Roux"". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Rincon, Skyy (21 July 2026). "The Afghan Whigs Share Emotional New Single "My Lover"". mxdwn. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  7. ↑ Overton, Lana (21 August 2026). "The Afghan Whigs Share Rich New Single "Loose Talk"". mxdwn. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  8. ↑ Kahn, Andy (3 June 2026). "The Afghan Whigs Announce New Album 'Soft Control' & Fall 2026 Tour Dates". JamBase. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  9. ↑ "Critic Reviews for Soft Control". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  10. ↑ Anthony, Christopher (20 August 2026). "The Afghan Whigs: Soft Control [Album Review]". The Fire Note. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  11. 1 2 Cooper, Mark (1 October 2026). "The Afghan Whigs: Soft Control". Mojo. No. 395. p. 82 – via PressReader.
  12. ↑ Osman, Tom (20 August 2026). "Album Review: The Afghan Whigs – Soft Control". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  13. 1 2 Currin, Grayson (1 September 2026). "The Afghan Whigs: Soft Control Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  14. ↑ Theel, Alex (21 August 2026). "The Afghan Whigs – Soft Control (2026) Album Review". Scummy Water Tower. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  15. 1 2 Segal, Victoria (18 August 2026). "Brandon Flowers: Thrasher review — Killers frontman goes country". The Times. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  16. ↑ O'Connell, Sharon (1 September 2026). "The Afghan Whigs: Soft Control". Uncut. No. 355. p. 28 – via PressReader.
  17. 1 2 "Soft Control / Afghan Whigs / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved October 19, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Afghan Whigs – Soft Control" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Afghan Whigs – Soft Control" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  20. ↑ "Top Rock & Metal – Semaine du 28 août 2026". SNEP (in French). Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  21. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Afghan Whigs – Soft Control" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  22. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 28/8/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Update on 24/8/2026". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  24. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 28/8/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 "Soft Control – Afghan Whigs". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Afghan Whigs Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 October 2026.