In interviews about the songs on Sometimes, Forever, Allison has said that she was inspired by the way Mary Shelley mixed the romantic with the monstrous in her “Frankenstein,” while the song “Darkness Forever” is a reflection on the suicide of poet Sylvia Plath, when she “tried to set the evil on fire.” Even describing a loving commitment in “With U,” she’s aware of “Your crystal eyes/Cut deep like a knife/They’re teaching me how to bleed,” while in “Bones” she’s “trying to be someone/that you could love and understand/but I know that I’m not.” In “Shotgun,” she holds dear all the moments of closeness, yet describes her longing in weaponized language: “whenever you want me I’ll be around/I’m a bullet in a shotgun waiting to sound.” There’s a push/pull in the emotions she’s describing, her better angels often wrestling with her demons, there’s beauty but it’s side by side with the macabre; it’s always more than one thing.
Musically, Soccer Mommy’s sound builds on the solid foundation of Allison’s guitar pop inclinations, and the backing from her band, which includes the rhythm section of Rodrigo Avendano or Graeme Goetz on bass and Rollum Haas on drums. She plays guitar with help here and there from Avendano, Julian Powell, Gabe Wax, and Nate Boyce. Production this time out is handled by Oneohtrix Point Never, aka Daniel Lopatin, whose synths and various keyboards and contributes to the general noisier aspects, often expressing the underlying tensions in Allison’s poetic narratives, not unlike the recorded work of Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. The result is another fine collection of songs that expand on Soccer Mommy’s portrait of a world where beauty and connection struggle to thrive in a dangerous world where things often have an ugly underbelly.
Brian Q. Newcomb
For more of Brian Q. Newcomb’s music reviews, check out The Fire Note
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Mommy (Be Your Own Pet) – music review
- New music round-up (for w/e 25 October 2024)
- Hey, I’m Just Like You (Tegan and Sara) – music review
The Fire Note started to create a simple place that could showcase records that we liked. Nothing more, nothing less. The focus has always been about the album and the experience that a great record creates. The Fire Note Webzine builds on this idea by offering an array of content that is all about the enjoyment of music, its pulse and energizing attitude.