color theory by Soccer Mommy

Sophie Allison, otherwise known as Soccer Mommy, has a talent for layering dark, grim lyrics on top of bright, catchy pop hooks. Whereas Tricky’s darkness stemmed from a lifetime of external difficulty and suffering, Allison’s pain comes mostly from within. If the stories contained on the Nashville-based singer/songwriter’s fantastic second album, color theory, are to be believed, she suffers from imposter syndrome and plenty of inner turmoil. Part of this singular focus on herself is likely due to her age – at roughly 23 years old, she’s not lived enough life to really know how much the world could hurt her. Additionally, it’s quite difficult to make a living as an indie-rocker, and that’s only going to fuel that inner fire.

Allison’s first album, Clean, unfortunately evaded my radar long enough to be overlooked for the 2018 Top 31 — not the first time I’ve made a mistake in my 12 years of chronicling the years’ best albums. (Incidentally, it occurs to me that I’ve been writing about my favorite albums each year since Allison was about 11 years old. Yeesh.) But since discovering her in the early months of 2019, Soccer Mommy has taken hold of my playlist and continues to add to and build up my love for her music.

The growth that Allison has shown in her music from Clean (an excellent album on its own) to color theory is subtle at first listen. Upon repeated plays, the songs on the second album demonstrate a greater intelligence. The same ties to the bluntness of Liz Phair or use of rhyming couplets like Taylor Swift are still there, but color theory shows Allison bringing a depth to the music that is all her own. And this is only her second album! I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for Soccer Mommy.

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1. Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee
2. Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple
3. Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
4. folklore + evermore by Taylor Swift
5. Untitled (Black Is) + Untitled (Rise) by Sault
6. RTJ4 by Run The Jewels
7. Shore by Fleet Foxes
8. Serpentine Prison by Matt Berninger
9. The Ascension by Sufjan Stevens
10. Making a Door Less Open by Car Seat Headrest
11. Dreamland by Glass Animals
12. A Hero’s Death by Fontaines D.C.
13. Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez by Gorillaz
14. Mordechai + Texas Sun EP by Khruangbin
15. Introduction, Presence by Nation of Language
16. Free Love by Sylvan Esso
17. Miss Anthropocene by Grimes
18. 3.15.20 by Childish Gambino
19. Women In Music Pt. III by HAIM
20. The Third Mind by The Third Mind
21. Superstar by Caroline Rose
22. Impossible Weight by Deep Sea Diver
23. We Will Always Love You by The Avalanches
24. Ultra Mono by IDLES
25. Visions of Bodies Being Burned by clipping.
26. Thin Mind by Wolf Parade
27. The Loves of Your Life by Hamilton Leithauser
28. Palo Alto (Live) by Thelonious Monk
29. color theory by Soccer Mommy
30. Fall to Pieces by Tricky
31. Quarantine Casanova by Chromeo

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