Straight to the core of the song Soft Tags do indeed come across like the early 80s NZ DIY spirit. A sort of folk, campfire type sound (hell they even have a banjo) but there’s an urbanness to their sound that comes across a little like Violent Femmes in parts.
The mix sounds like its been through the wash a few times and there’s some vocals spilt all over the whites and the drums have all but been rinsed away but the strange result is a guitar leaded sound.
It sounds like a bunch of your friends are playing in your living room just for you and that’s the overall result. A very open sounding band and it’s simplistic style is inviting.