Soccer Mommy - “circle the drain”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 10; Popularity Index: 8

Pairs Well With…Snail Mail, Japanese Breakfast, King Princess

A thousand artists in and our first “10” is rewarded to Soccer Mommy, an easy recommendation following her perfect full-length Clean, one of the best releases of all of 2018. Remarkably warm and lushly produced, Clean updates emotive grunge rock to a breezy, pacing, and contemporary sound. While as cozy as a hammock on holiday, Soccer Mommy’s music is subtly complex, pulling together multiple sections within her songs rather than just verse/chorus/verse expectancy. While rarely getting above a mid-tempo swing, Clean never bores, not just through the melded layers of guitars and cinematic twists, but also just due to the sheer amount of heart that Soccer Mommy leaves on the table in all ten of the album’s tracks. Even better, the Nashville-based artist has a new record due at the end of February and color theory has already been previewed by three tracks including tenderly catchy “circle the drain”. Shoegaze dripped “lucy” was the first single to come out from color theory, a full, dreamy excursion that masters soft/loud dynamics and “yellow is the color of her eyes” takes those thoughts one step forward under an air of cinematic psychedelic pop. At over seven minutes, the latter stretches at its midpoint to spaced out, epic territory even under the grey light of Soccer Mommy’s entrancing sound. (Kevin McStravick)