What a week this has been in music! Justin Timberlake gifted us with “The Other Side” and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better we all woke up Friday morning to Academy Award Nominee Lady Gaga delivering us some “Stupid Love.” Once you have worn out your repeat button and need some more new music for the weekend just push play on some of the great new music out this week.
Soccer Mommy color theory
From the release of an artist’s debut album to the recording of the sophomore outing this is the time when a young musician experiences great growth in their trade. Sophie Allison, the singer-songwriter behind the stage name Soccer Mommy, went through massive transformations during this period leading up to the release of color theory.
Sophie’s writing and vocal style leans heavily on Liz Phair and is extremely evident in “Circle the Drain,” which revolves around someone who is battling depression but is fighting hard to put on a smile and go through the motions for their loved ones. Sophie credits Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift as early influences and their touch on her music is heard more on the Soccer Mommy debut Clean than her on color theory.
Allison has said that the new album is purposely divided into three colored sections that represent her moods: blue, yellow and gray. Death plays a large reoccurring part on the album. “yellow is the color of her eyes” is a tribute to her mother who was diagnosed with cancer when Sophie was a teen. She sings in the song about no matter where she goes or what she does she can’t help but see the Grim Reaper hanging over her at all times.
The Nashville native wrote her new album while out on tour in support of massive acts like Vampire Weekend, Kacey Musgraves, Paramore and Liz Phair and has delivered one of the more personal indie-pop albums in recent memory. Soccer Mommy tackles everything from mental health struggles to the guilt of abandoning a dying loved one to the inescapable grip of death. color theory is as dark and depressing as it is uplifting and beautiful.
Soccer Mommy plays the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta on March 26th. @sopharela
Real Estate The Main Thing
It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since Real Estate released their self-titled debut album. In that time they have become of the best guitar driven bands in music and their fifth studio album The Main Thing is just another example of why they deserve that moniker.
The band has gone through some turbulence over the last few years. In 2017 they were dealt a crushing blow when a number of women came forward accusing founding member Matt Mondanile of sexual misconduct. Mondanile was let go and replaced by new guitarist Julian Lynch who stepped right in and even contributed by writing songs for the new album.
The New Jersey based band has retained their playful guitar-pop on The Main Thing will also introducing a more mature jazz sound on tracks like the Lynch penned “Also A But.” Amelia Meath of electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso joins the band for the disco-esque “Paper Cup.” The relaxing track has the band in search of something real.
Real Estate plays the new Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville on April 17th. @realestateband
Nova Twins Who Are The Girls?
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello proclaims that Nova Twins is “the best band you’ve never heard of.” To be quite honest he’s not wrong. A self proclaimed ‘urban punk’ band, Nova Twins delivers a blistering in your face debut.
The London duo consisting of bassist Georgia South and vocalist/guitarist Amy Love formed in 2014 and just two years later found themselves touring the world in support of the Morello backed Prophets of Rage. The duo have since made a name for themselves through explosive live shows which has translated over to Who Are The Girls?
The ten track album takes off like a rocket and doesn’t slow down. The larger than life attitudes that South and Love bring to the album is as much needed as the pounding drum lines. Every song is delivered with great confidence and is attending for other confident like minded women.
Album standout “Bullet” finds Love declaring to all of the men in the world that no means no and that under no circumstance is a woman asking for it. Who Are The Girls? Is a girl power album for a new generation of women and couldn’t come at a better time. @NovaTwinsMusic
Ratboys Printer’s Devil
The Second City is giving every “music city” a run for their money this year. Chicago is seeing some amazing albums being released from within it in 2020. The nearly perfect Honeymoon from Beach Bunny is still in stuck in my head and now comes another female led band with an impeccable release.
Ratboys Printer’s Devil shows off this newly found confidence the band hasn’t displayed before. The album kicks off with everything one would expect from a Ratboys album. The quirky lyrics from vocalist Julia Steiner are there as well as the bouncy hooks and riffs the band is known for but this album is much bigger in sound than previous outings. They’ve spent the better part of a decade molding their sound and Printer’s Devil appears to be their masterpiece.
The upbeat “Alien with a Sleep Mask On” puts off this feeling that band is just having a ton of fun together as does the equally upbeat “Look To” and “Anj.” As a whole it’s just a fun record to listen to and also it’s hard not to smile while doing so.
Ratboys plays Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room in St. Louis on May 16th. @Ratboysband
Make sure to check some of these other amazing new albums out now
- Five Finger Death Punch F8
- James Taylor American Standard
- Caribou Suddenly
- Lil Baby My Turn
- Jeremy Cunningham The Weather Up There
- The Orielles Disco Volador
- Four Year Strong Brain Pain
- Franc Moody Dream In Colour
- Brooke Bentham Everyday Nothing
- The Secret Sisters Saturn Return
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
