Soccer Mommy – Collection

I’m definitively behind on hearing the latest full-length from Soccer Mommy, aka Sophie Allison, but am glad to encounter it in November rather than August when it was released. The Fat Possum release, Collection, is a more produced version of the bedroom musings that Allison has released previously but it’s still a, mostly, introspective endeavor fit for colder nights indoors. 

There may be more drums and tinkling synths present in the arrangements but the lyrical content is intensely personal; declarations from the perspective of finding your way through relationships and personal growth. Those aren’t exactly new subjects for indie rock but the vocal delivery makes them feel extra unshielded. 

I’ll even go out on a limb and say there’s something akin to early Liz Phair happening here.  Allison isn’t as openly sexual as Phair was but she’s able to write an intimate song that shows vulnerability and strength simultaneously while also being a memorable pop song.