Soccer Mommy, a local Nashville band and one of my personal favorite bands, just released a new album on June 24th, 2022. Sophie Allison, singer-songwriter and lead vocalist has always impressed me as a writer. She also has a lovely voice, despite saying “I don’t really like my singing voice” the first time I saw her perform. As a long time fan I love seeing how much she’s grown, and oh my gosh the band is so famous now. I mean this new album is being sold on vinyl at Urban Outfitters?! Soccer Mommy’s previous album Color Theory was a conceptual but emotional experience about isolation and loss. In this third full length album she makes peace with despair as she becomes more self-aware.
“Bones” is a strong beginning to the record. It’s a song about wanting to go back to the way things used to be in a relationship. Even as it slowly unravels there’s nothing she can do, it’s sad feeling so helpless. The song rocks that classic Soccer Mommy electric guitar tone and slowly unfolds into a banger. What I loved about this song are the twinkly and complex details that embellish the song throughout.
“With U” this song has a futuristic synth/keyboard part and echoey drums. This song has a bridge/breakdown section that is really cool, it sounds pretty different from the rest of the song. The lyrics in this one sound like how dramatic and painful loving someone can be. She says “being with you is all I can do the stars and the moon can’t compare”, this person is more important than anything else.
“Unholy Affliction” has religious themes, it’s also very dark as it has some violent visuals. The music is gritty and almost scary sounding, in a horror movie way. The chorus has a ghostly melody and dynamic production. It is interesting and textured, this song could be categorized as experimental.
“Shotgun” is definitely the album’s poppiest song, so I think we’ll see this one gain the most traction. It’s a shoegazy alt-rock hit, with delicate vocals disguising the dark theme. This song is about a desperate and maybe even deadly desire. Love always feels like the most dramatic and important thing when we’re in it.
“newdemo” feels like it could have been on the cold theory album, it has a similar vibe and sound. This song is about what it feels like to be a pawn in the hands of capitalism. It has a stringy guitar part and spacey atmosphere.
“Darkness Forever” has an ominous sound and feeling right off the bat, it’s unlike anything she’s put out before. The bass and other instruments slowly come on an off-hand beat. This song is dark and could be described as trip-hop. Trip-hop is ambient and slower tempo music with a hip-hop beat.
“Don’t Ask Me” is strikingly different from the previous track. It’s up-tempo and could easily be a late-nineties hit. The lyrics are not overly complex or deep, but it’s still a great listen and the instruments take up a lot of the space.
“Fire in The Driveway” begins with the sound of two acoustic guitars. The harmonies and ooo’s are totally enchanting over the chorus. This song never gets a rock guitar part but it does get ambient electric parts in the background.
“Following Eyes” has a slow and steady beginning reminiscent of early 2000’s emo. It breaks out into a jammy and twinkly indie song, even though the lyrics basically describe a horror movie. The title is perfect for this one.
“Feel It All The Time” getting older is never easy, especially with depression looming. I think this song describes the teenage angst that lingers into your early twenties. This song is more directly vulnerable even though Sophie practically whispers how she’s feeling.
“Still” the first line “I don’t know how to feel things small, it’s a tidal wave or nothing at all” is a perfect line to sum up the album. If you’re a creative person I’m sure you’ve felt the same way. It is a delicate and romantic end to a rowdy album.
Overall this album shows a darker side to Soccer Mommy with extreme sadness and desperation. Sophie’s music is reminiscent of 90s fuzz rock and shoegaze music. Her soft but catchy melodies are fresh yet nostalgic. Like her previous work this album is a slow burn, I love seeing how Soccer Mommy progresses and changes from one album to the next. I would recommend listening to it at least once all the way through.
Give the full album a listen here:
0 Comments