Soccer Mommy finally makes my list of artists to watch with 'Sometimes, Forever'
After mainstream indie hits a la "rom com", pleasantly surprised by a few standouts from her newest album
The first set of songs I heard by Soccer Mommy (25 years old, Swiss-born, raised in Nashville, NYU dropout, started with label Fat Possum and now with Loma Vista & Concord) were “rom com 2004” and “rom com 2021”. 2004 features heavy electronic scratch that I felt overwhelmed her vocals, which definitely had some potential.
The vocals were more prominent and uptempoed in “rom com 2021”, better musically in my mind but still a clubby listen. Nothing wrong with that, but not meant to be a critical listen. So I put Soccer Mommy aside in my musical stack as a mainstream indie rocker singing about generic experiences with generically electronic sound.
That’s why I was genuinely surprised to hear a completely matured sound on a few standout tracks in particular from Soccer Mommy’s latest album, Sometimes, Forever, released Friday.
In “Bones”, we hear a much purer vocal right from the start, calmer, no longer chaotically electronic or over-produced. A more traditional rock set of guitar and drum beats back soft-spoken but firmly heartbreaking lyrics:
I'm trying to be someone
That you could love and understand
But I know that I'm not
I'm not
Soccer Mommy nods at her millennialism with SMS-titled “With U”, telling us about falling deeply, cosmically into young love. Another lyrical rock set that hits.
Being with you is all I can do
The stars and the moon can’t compare…
I fall in over the littlest things about you
Interestingly, while the first two tracks on the album lean into traditional rock / dream rock influence with strong vocals (and are standouts to me because of that), the last two tracks retain the same musical qualities with a bit of a twist.
“Feel It All The Time” starts with a musical / key distortion before transitioning into more familiar sound. Lyrics contract fairly starkly with the rosy story of “With U”, painting that picture of getting hurt and growing up fast.
Get you high, get me on my knees
Make you crave for the blood I bleed
Crucify for my quick release
“Still” finishes the album with probably the least-produced vocals, revealing Soccer Mommy’s true talent as a singer, and a bittersweet, sadly comforting dream pop / rock backing for heart-wrenching, carefully and poetically-written lyrics:
My life stands still…
You got me high for a little while
I still don’t know what I was thinkin’
I did it still
These two starting and two ending tracks defined Sometimes, Forever to me and gave me confidence that Soccer Mommy will continue to write more lasting, intentional music that will change lives. I will be cheering from the audience.
My copy of "Sometimes, Forever" arrived yesterday. I pre-ordered it almost solely on the strength of "Shotgun" and it's being produced by Daniel Lopatin. I'm excited to sit down & finally hear the entire record.