When Sophie Allison says to the assembled friends and coworkers assembled around NPR’s Tiny Desk, “We’re finally doin’ it,” she really means it. Just about three years ago, Alison released her sophomore Soccer Mommy album, 2020’s color theory to critical applause. The album marked significant strides forward in the JOVM mainstay’s songwriting and production With the rapidly growing buzz surrounding her a the album, a big year was in store for her and for her bandmates.
The best laid plans of mice and men, right? The band’s visit to NPR’s Tiny Desk, scheduled for March 30, 2020 was the first of many to be canceled because of the pandemic. That particular moment in time required a lot of lemonade-making from just about everyone: Not too long after the start of the lockdown, Allison was the first to record a Tiny Desk (Home) performance for NPR — recorded by Alison on her iPhone.
Clearly for all involved, it was a deeply emotional experience to finally welcome Alison and her backing band — Julian Powell (guitar), Rodrigo Avendano (keys), Nickolas Widener (bass) and Rollum Haas (drums) — to NPR’s Tiny Desk for their long-awaited in-person debut.
Soccer Mommy’s four-song, Tiny Desk set is career spanning set featuring slightly stripped down versions of “Shotgun” off last year’s Sometimes, Forever, “circle the drain” off 2020’s color theory, “newdemo” off Sometimes, Forever and “Still Clean,” off 2018’s Clean. The NPR Tiny Desk set reveals a remarkably self-assured performer and artist, who crafts introspective songs rooted in lived-in experience.
