Critics and fans usually look for an artist’s second album to represent a step forward, to establish its creator as some sort of presence in whatever artistic niche they want a share of. On her second album as Soccer Mommy, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sophie Allison makes those sorts of concerns seem laughable. Color Theory, out now via Loma Vista Recordings, takes the delicate solitude of her debut, 2018’s Clean, and cuts it to shreds, leaning into the shamelessly catchy pop she grew up with and the frazzled lo-fi that always exists just outside on the borders of mainstream rock. It’s split into three sections, each dealing with a different malady and matched with their own colors: blue for depression and heartbreak; yellow for paranoia, anxiety, and sickness; and gray for death and loss. On Color Theory, Allison, now 22, sets herself apart as one of her generation’s most interesting and affecting songwriters.
When she came to the FADER offices in mid-February, Allison was — as she has been ever since her staticky NYU dorm room demos pushed her towards the indie spotlight — candid about her life and her songwriting. She spoke about the impact that touring had on her mental health as she went from playing small clubs to huge arenas in support of some of the world’s biggest rock bands; the way she took control of Soccer Mommy as a business and a band since it outgrew her solo work; and her relationship with anxiety and separation. She also met Wasabi, The FADER’s resident French Bulldog, but that didn’t make the final cut.
Watch Soccer Mommy’s FADER Interview in full at the top of the page.
