‘Sometimes, Forever’ by Soccer Mommy |Album Review
Nashville native Soccer Mommy continues to flesh out her dream-pop/shoegaze aesthetic on her fourth album.
My first introduction to Sophie Allison, known by the moniker Soccer Mommy, was opening up for Liz Phair for her Girlysound to Guyville tour in 2018. I absolutely loved the tracks she performed from her 2017 release Collection, alongside the delightfully creamy cover of “I’m On Fire” by Bruce Springsteen.
Since then, I have watched as she only polished this sound into something fully her own. The zenith of this is 2020’s Color Theory. That record was my go-to summer album due to its iridescent alternative quality. Once I heard she was to drop her next album, I knew I had to see what she would follow up that project with.
Allison begins the album with the delightfully smooth and dreamy sounds of “Bones.” I really appreciate how her solo guitar work melts into the shoegaze-infused backing guitars that take over the rest of the album. Her vocals have the right amount of delay and filtering to give them a soft blur.
Oneothrix Point Never’s production really makes this song sparkle with a golden hue. Sophie questions how she’s lost herself in this relationship, “I wanna know what’s wrong/ With all of the ways I am/ I’m trying to be someone/ That you could love and understand/ But I know that I’m not.”
She goes into more detail on this theme in a press release:
“‘Bones’ is a song about] struggling with the parts of yourself that you don’t like in a relationship. It’s about wanting to become better for someone and feeling like you’re standing in your own way.”
After one listen, the repeated hook of “I’m not” will get caught in your head.
“With U” effervesces with glitter guitar work and creamy orange hues of the production. It reminds me of the warm colors that Beck’s Sea Change casts out (albeit with an alternative rock flavor). I love how the piano's deep tones mix with all the bright guitar work.
She discusses how she wanted to capture that feeling of devotion you have for someone you love in her DIY Magazine interview:
“I’ve been in a relationship for six years and it’s very happy, but happiness alone doesn’t encapsulate love. For example, ‘With U’ is a song about being devoted to someone and feeling affection for them all the time. But part of that is wanting to be there for the dark parts, to take on that person’s pain and be someone they can lean on.”
This almost psychedelic sound really plays up the hypnotic hold that the person she’s fallen for has over her, “Being with you is all I can do/ The stars and the moon can’t compare/ To coming undone staring straight at the sun/ ’Til all I can see is you there/ Until all I can see is you there/ Until all I can see is just you and me.” This is a beautifully crafted dreamy-pop/alt-rock song that will have you dissolving into its sound.
Allison brings in a darker side to “Unholy Affliction.” This fuzzy, foreboding sound reminds me of the sound she experimented with on “Feed” for The Turning soundtrack. Something about the guitar work brings to mind bands like Hole and Garbage. I love the frantic quality of the production. Her hollow sound brings out the angst against just being another mindless cog in the corporate wheel, “I’m tired of the money/ And all of the talking at me/ I’m barely a person/ Mechanically working/ (Industrial mindset)/ (Fully efficient).” I really like the diversity this brings. It shows she can be both dreamy and aggressive.
Sophie mixes her trademark alt-rock sound with some crunchier aspects on the single “Shotgun.” The juxtaposition between the moodier verses and the kaleidoscope of sound in the chorus makes for a really pleasant listen.
Allison told Stereogum how she wanted to capture the chaotic emotions that surround new love:
“‘Shotgun,’ when I was writing it, I was thinking very much about the early feeling of love. I was thinking back to some of the first dates and the first times that we spent together, the first time we started living together. I was 19 or 20 when all that was happening, and I wanted to capture the feeling I get when I think about those first days… For me, I’m very driven early on in relationships by needing that instant fun and entertainment, someone who can keep me on my toes. That initial feeling is so strong and so intense and also a little scary because it could be fleeting. I wanted to capture the craziness of finding love at the very beginning and not knowing where it’s going, but knowing that it’s something exciting.”
She brings this out beautifully as she sings, “And whenever you want me I’ll be around/ I’m a bullet in a shotgun waiting to sound,” displaying her carefree mindset to where this goes next. It’s a great blend of indie-pop and alt-rock.
“newdemo” has a haunting quality to it. Sophie keeps the song rather stripped back to highlight her acoustic guitar work. The backing synths bring out a soaring quality as they rise and fall behind her. All of this puts on in limbo as Sophie ruminates on the promise and often unreachability of success, “Sometimes I dream that the dam at the river/ Will keep out the flooding of blue/ But what is a dream but a hope you hold onto/ A lie that you wish would come true.” The verses highlight the discrepancy between the common man and those in power, which has her questioning if any intervention (be it human or divine) could fix these problems.
“Darkness Forever” brings back the ominous sounds she experimented with on “Unholy Feeling.” The growl of her guitar, uneasy synths, and unfocused double vocals really bring a gothic vibe to the song. The seething tone of the track accentuates Allison’s internal turmoil surrounding her struggles with her mental health.
The lines, “Head in the oven/ Didn’t sound so crazy/ My brain was burning/ Hot to the touch/ Lithium readings/ Making me dizzy/ But they keep my feelings/ Simmering low,” shows the dichotomy of being on the brink of suicide and being washed out emotionally from medication that keeps these feelings at bay.
We bring back bright energy on “Don’t Ask Me.” I like the speed her guitar work and the backing drums bring to the song. It feels like everything is moving in a blur of color. Coming off the unease of the prior track, Allison seems to have shed the chains that bound her, “No longer vacant/ No longer chasing/ No longer searching/ For something that will set me free/ From who I am and who I’ll always be/ Always be.” This song swirls in a sense of release that is delightful.
“Fire in the Driveway” has a mellower tone to it. Oneotrix Point Never’s production gives a creamy quality to the song that runs through your ears. Allison uses the last of her compassion for this person to let them know she’s finally moving on, “And I know it’s the truth/ I’m better off without you/ But I can’t seem to say it to your facе/ And I know it’s not wrong to leave you to the dogs/ But I can’t watch ’еm tear into your skin.” There is clearly bad blood between them, yet she still has enough feelings for them to not throw them into the flames. I think the milky quality of the song really plays to those last embers of compassion.
“Following Eyes” continues some of the creepier aspects of her work on this album. These moments are a pleasure to hear. The fuzzier aspects of the guitar work really bring out the foggy vibe she’s going for. Sophie told Fader that she was inspired to write a ghost story after toying with a new tuning on her guitar:
“This one is just a straight-up ghost story I made for fun after I made a creepy lick. It was written between two of the recording sessions [when] I thought the album was already done. I was playing around with this really heavy tuning and made this riff. I [wanted] to write a creepy ghost story with it and make it eerie and spooky and ghastly. And it was great. It felt like it had to go on the record because of the sound and the [theme]. It fit perfectly.”
Between her haunting vocals and thick guitar work, it feels like it was perfectly made of a 90s horror movie. She brings back her trademark dreamy sound in the chorus, which adds to the air of mystery of the piece.
The only Western-inspired track on the album is the single “Feel It All the Time.” The dirtier sounds of the guitar bring to mind Mazzy Star’s sound. This country tone marries well with her need to drive out to escape her stagnant mind, “So I wanna drive out for where the sun shines/ Drown out the noise and the way I feel/ But even the light is so temporary/ And I see the dark at the back of my heels/ I feel it all the time.” While not my favorite on the album, I like the experimentation she does sonically here.
The album closes on a softer note with “Still.” The song is one of the only tracks to really focus on Sophie’s acoustic guitar work. It really brings a solemn feeling to this closer.
Allison discusses the mindset she was in when writing this track in her Fader interview:
“I did want to put it on a record. Ending songs, I don’t know why, I always know. I’m like, ‘That’s it. That’s the closer.’ I like ending things on a grim, beautiful note, but I didn’t know what the record was gonna sound like or what direction it would go. When I wrote the song, I was in turmoil. Listening back to the demos when we were going into the studio, I was like, ‘Wow, ‘Still’ is so different from some of the ones that were written six months later just in where I was in my life and how happy I was.’ It’s crazy to look back on a song fondly but also be like, ‘I was really going through it.’”
There is a real palpable pain she brings forth as she brings up her suicidal ideations that brought her peace in her most dark moments, “I can’t believe in Heaven now/ It’s been Hell on Earth for a second/ Okay, you win, I’ll end my life/ Drive to the bridge just to overthink it/ I never jump, it’s a crutch of mine/ Drive to the bridge just to stand there thinkin’.” I feel this sense of confusion she’s going through on a personal level.
Allison continues to amaze me with each project she releases. She has really solidified a sound that is both nostalgic and her own. Some of the most interesting sections on this album surround the darker, edgier songs released on this project. It keeps the album from feeling one note. Even the trademark shoegaze sound she has coined stays fresh through Oneotrix Point Never’s production. It keeps the album dynamic throughout. I can’t really say there are any skips on this record. It was a delightful listen from start to finish. If you like dreamy alternative rock, you really need to listen to this album. You won’t be disappointed.
My overall breakdown on Sometimes, Forever:
Loved it: “Bones,” “With U,” “Unholy Affliction,” “Shotgun,” “newdemo,” “Don’t Ask Me,” “Following Eyes,” & “Still”
Liked it: “Darkness Forever,” “Fire in the Driveway,” & “Feel It All the Time”
Disliked it: None
My overall rating: 8.0 out of 10.
