Even for longtime fans, the Afghan Whigs still have some surprises left in them on Soft Control, the fourth release of the reunion era. Greg Dulli has always been an album man, and Soft Control follows the Whigs 2.0 blueprint in this regard: ten tracks, not quite 40 minutes, and a track sequence that makes you adapt a side A/side B mentality. Soft Control front-loads its most accessible tracks on side A, and side B begs to be listened to on headphones.
“Jungle Roux” kicks off this collection with a slithery synth before Dulli joins in, sounding as good as ever. It contains many Whigs signatures, but blends them in a new way. In a way, it’s as bold a start to the album as the roaring, Stooges-like “I’ll Make You See God” from 2022’s…