Soccer Mommy

Soccer Mommy is the stage name of Sophie Allison, a singer/songwriter who channeled the sound of 1990s indie rock into her own distinctive, conversational, and confessional style. Allison developed her voice on a series of self-released bedroom recordings, which she then parlayed into a record contract with Fat Possum. The label released her critically acclaimed debut album, Clean, in 2018. Color Theory — the 2020 sophomore set released by Loma Vista/Concord — found Soccer Mommy continuing to mine guitar-heavy indie rock, yet it also displayed some synth textures in its margins. Allison ventured down this atmospheric path on Sometimes, Forever, the 2022 album she made with Daniel Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never. Working instead with Ben H. Allen III (Deerhunter, Belle and Sebastian), she peeled back some of those layers in an effort to go more organic on 2024′s Evergreen. While still guitar-centric, it incorporated instruments like strings and flutes. Born May 27, 1997, in Zurich, Switzerland, Sophie Allison relocated with her family to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was two years old. Drawn to music at an early age, she studied guitar while attending the Nashville School of the Arts. Upon her graduation, she adopted the Soccer Mommy moniker for the original songs she uploaded for online streaming, beginning with the Songs for the Recently Sad EP. While attending New York University, Allison continued to self-release Soccer Mommy music. Songs from My Bedroom arrived late in 2015, followed quickly by Songs from My Bedroom (pt. 2) in early 2016. Orchid Tapes released For Young Hearts in 2016. The mini-LP reached five on Billboard’s Heatseekers Album charts, helping to pave the way to a contract with Fat Possum. For her first album for the label, Allison tweaked several of her early songs for Collection. After its release in August 2017, Soccer Mommy headed out on the road as a support act for the Drums and Jay Som. Allison teamed with Gabe Wax, a producer and engineer best known for his work with the War on Drugs and Fleet Foxes, for Clean, the first proper studio album by Soccer Mommy. Released in March 2018, the record garnered strong reviews and placed on several best-of-the-year lists. She promoted the album with tours supporting Stephen Malkmus, Paramore, and Vampire Weekend. Soccer Mommy moved to Loma Vista/Concord for 2020′s Color Theory. Working again with Gabe Wax, Allison expanded her aural palette on Color Theory, drawing inspiration from old cassette tapes. The record reached 142 on Billboard’s Top 200, peaking at seven on its Alternative chart. She switched producers for her third album, recording Sometimes, Forever with Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin. The change in collaborators resulted in an adventurous record that occasionally echoed dream-pop and shoegaze. Upon its June 2022 release, Sometimes, Forever reached 137 on Billboard’s Top 200 and topped the Heatseekers chart. After collaborating with Sub Pop act Bully on “Lose You,” Allison turned her attention to recording a set of cover songs released in 2023 under the title Karaoke Night. The five-song EP featured Soccer Mommy’s take on songs by R.E.M., Sheryl Crow, and Pavement. For her fourth long-player, Allison dialed back the layers of atmosphere present on her previous album in an effort to shine the spotlight on songwriting. While still more textured than her debut, 2024′s Evergreen favored more organic sounds, including acoustic guitars, strings, and flutes. Recorded in Maze Studios in Atlanta with producer Ben H. Allen III (Deerhunter, Belle and Sebastian), Evergreen arrived on Loma Vista that October. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine