Soccer Mommy, helmed by Sophie Allison, has been a buzz-worthy band on the scene as of late. And at
Lincoln Hall on Thursday night—which they had completely sold out—their show didn't disappoint, but made me appreciate their sound even more.
Allison honed her craft in the Music City, where she wrote all of her songs and posted them online; think Bandcamp, Tumblr. The vulnerable lyricism, raw angst, and garage-esque backings have made fans crave more music, and Allison has delivered with albums in 2016, 2017, and
Clean, released this year.
The band took the stage for Lincoln Hall's packed house, and it was just them. No flashy effects, lighting flourishes, or guest appearances. Because that's what Soccer Mommy is all about; peeling back the layers so you can soak up the root of the sound.
The 11-song set was bittersweet; each song somehow sounded more pristine than from the record it came from, yet the music only lasted around 45 minutes. The show opened with crowd favorite "Henry," led to the crowd's favorite line of "I don't want to be your f-king dog" on "Your Dog," and wound through the Soccer Mommy discography. Her vocals particularly shone through on "Cool," in which a relatable subject matter was matched with stellar pitch. Through it all, Allison stopped to chat with us about her hometown, her single LP release (check it out if you haven't already, with an ethereal cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire"), and more.
Allison played a few solo songs for us, beginning with the aforementioned Springsteen track, and it left the room silent. She stunned us with "Allison," a song she wrote for a class project; she was dismayed to find she got a B on it, but that didn't matter now as we all watched reverently. "Waiting for Cars" closed out the show and left us all eager for more tunes. I guess we're just going to have to wait hopefully for new material in 2019.
