Sophie Allison’s latest Soccer Mommy album, the Daniel Lopatin (a.k.a. Oneohtrix Point Never)-produced Sometimes, Forever was released earlier this year through Loma Vista/Concord. The critically applauded album sees Allison pushing her sound in new directions — but without eschewing the unsparing lyricism and catchy melodies that have won her attention across the blogosphere and elsewhere.
Inspired by the concept that neither sorrow nor happiness is permanent, Sometimes, Forever is a fresh peek into the mind of a bold, young artist who synthesizes everything — retro sounds, personal tumult, the disorder of modern life — into music that feels built to last for a long time. The album’s material is also partly inspired by the uncomfortable push and pull between her desire to make meaningful art, her skepticism about the mechanics of careerism, and the mundane, artless administrative chaos that comes with all of it.
If you’ve been frequenting this site over the course of the past year, you may recall that I’ve written about the album’s woozy first single “Shotgun” an infectious banger centered around a classic grunge song structure — quiet verses, explosive choruses paired with layers of distorted guitars, Allison’s achingly plaintive vocals, an enormous hook, thunderous drumming and a throbbing groove.
“Shotgun” manages to liken a young romance to a sort of chemical high — but without the bruising and sickening comedown, which always comes after. But throughout the song, its narrator focuses on small moments in a love affair that’s imbued with a deep, personal meaning, “‘Shotgun’ is all about the joys of losing yourself in love,” explains Allison. “I wanted it to capture the little moments in a relationship that stick with you.”
Over the summer, rising indie electro pop outfit Magdalena Bay recently remixed “Shotgun” turning the track into a futuristic, glittery, club banger featuring glistening synth arpeggios, tweeter and woofer rattling thump and wobbling low end paired with Allison’s plaintive vocals fed through gentle amounts of vocoder and other effects. While being a decidedly bold and adventurous, the Magdalena Bay remix retains the core elements of the original — Allison’s penchant for earnest, lived-in lyricism, enormous hooks and the song’s overall woozy feel.
Last night, Allison began her fall tour to support the new album — and the tour includes a November 9, 2022 sold-out show at Webster Hall. Interestingly enough, Halloween is the acclaimed JOVM mainstay’s favorite holiday, and to celebrate both the tour and the holiday, Allison shared a previously unreleased draft version of “Darkness Forever,” one of the album’s darkest tracks.
“Darkness Forever (Sophie’s Version)” is a decidedly lo-fi and woozy take centered around bubbling synths, strummed guitar, skittering and blown out beats paired with Allison’s ethereal and plaintive cooing. While the album version manages to be spectral and brooding with a stormy guitar solo to punctuate it all, Sophie’s version is creepier and evokes an uneasy sense of dread.
“This version of ‘Darkness Forever’ is really exciting for me because it’s kind of what got me inspired to start working on the rest of the album,” Allison explains. “It felt new and fresh, and I had a lot of fun making it. When I was done with it, I felt very ready to work on more stuff for the record.”
Tour Dates
10/29/22 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre *
10/30/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
11/01/22 – Chicago, IL @ Metro *
11/02/22 – Evanston, IL @ SPACE * [SOLD OUT]
11/04/22 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom *
11/05/22 – North Adams, MA @ Mass MOCA *
11/06/22 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues *
11/09/22 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall ^ [SOLD OUT]
11/10/22 – Middletown, CT @ Harbor Park [SOLD OUT]
11/11/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall ^
11/12/22 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^ [SOLD OUT]
11/13/22 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
11/14/22 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom ^
11/16/22 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre ^
11/17/22 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Heaven Stage ^
11/18/22 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn ^
11/19/22 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl ^
11/30/22 – St. Louis, MO @ Pageant #
12/02/22 – Ft. Collins, CO @ Washington’s #
12/03/22 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre #
12/04/22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot #
12/06/22 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre #
12/07/22 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore #
12/08/22 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom #
12/10/22 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater #
12/11/22 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory #
12/13/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern #
12/14/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren #
12/15/22 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace #
12/16/22 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s East #
12/17/22 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues #
* with support from Lightning Bug
^ with support from Helena Deland
# with support from TOPS
