#57: Healing Potpourri and other soft names
#57: Healing Potpourri and other soft names
Healing Potpourri; Perspective, a Lovely Hand to Hold; Cuddle Formation; Eskimo Kisses for Mommy; Puppy Dogs and Ice Cream; The Cutest Puppy in the World; Shy Around Strangers
Way back in BNB #5, we encountered a band name so mind-bogglingly soft it was almost frightening. Surely it was a con—no person would choose this fluffy white cloud of a name without subterfuge. In real life they had to be a serial killer, sadistic corrections officer, or anchor for One America News.
The name was Healing Potpourri.
Back then, Healing Potpourri had released an album called Blanket of Calm, which showcased a sound I described as “confrontationally soft” created “for people who find yacht rock too aggressive.”
Two years later, songwriter Simi Sohota—the multi-instrumentalist behind Healing Potpourri—has returned with Paradise, 11 more tracks of “effervescent chamber pop that’s all but guaranteed to leave the listener in a better mood,” per the press release.
It’s not all chill vibes. Living through the hellscape of the past couple years inevitably influenced Sohota’s lyrics, which aren’t nearly as easy-breezy as the music accompanying them. I mean, they’re still pretty chill, all things considered, but even he uses the word “hellscape” in album closer “Something New.”
seems all we do
is struggle to
get through this hellscape
make something new
Before you ask: Yes, there is also a track inspired by George Floyd. It’s called “Paradise,” as in “this world it could be paradise,” but also as in:
just walking home but paid the price
with our lives we roll a pair a’dice
OK, yes, “pair a’dice” sounds like a run-down tiki bar inside the world’s most depressing casino, but hey, he’s going for something. And I, for one, respect that—partly because I suspect Sohota could be an enforcer for an organized crime family or something.
Regardless, the arrival of a new Healing Potpourri album inspired me to scan through the nearly roughly 3,900 names I’ve covered over the years to find other soft names. Here are some of the biggest offenders.
Perspective, a Lovely Hand to Hold
Long name + comma = emo. Per Spotify, they’re discovered on playlists like “midwest emo is actually good,” “midwest emo kinda love,” “ultimate midwest emo mixtape,” and “midwest emo (for real).” They’re from New Hampshire.
Cuddle Formation
Fun fact: This artist did not appreciate being included on the 2015 Year in Band Names. Also fact: This name is soft like a fleece throw blanket you and your partner wrap up in while watching HGTV on a cold winter’s eve.
Eskimo Kisses for Mommy
Oh yeah, this is fantastically soft—except it appears to be a South Park reference. Hmm, that makes them less soft, and probably more irritating. I enjoyed visiting their zombie Myspace page.
Puppy Dogs and Ice Cream
“Look, you take yourself out of the game. You start talking about puppy dogs and ice cream—of course it’s going to end up on the friendship tip.” –Swingers (1996)
The Cutest Puppy in the World
When a band calls itself The Cutest Puppy in the World and only has CDRs in its discography, you can be sure the name is ironic and the music is unlistenable.
Shy Around Strangers
Not shy around pretentious band bios though: “The music of Shy Around Strangers is a hybrid-genre where the eccentric meets the accessible with a subtext of atmospheric textures underneath pop song structures, influenced by the nostalgic romanticism of early 80s New Wave, Goth and Post-Punk and the raw emotions of the early 90s.” True, I did have a lot of raw emotions in the early ’90s.
POST-SCRIPTS
Cuddle Formation isn’t on Spotify, but Cuddle Riot is. Their 2021 EP Welcome to the Party features songs like “Fuck You Song” and “Natural Born Drunk.”
Puppy Dogs & Ice Cream is also the name of “a small children's book publisher in sunny San Diego,” and people on Google have questions:
