“Sometimes, Forever,” Soccer Mommy’s third album, continues Sophie Allison’s streak of making great albums and challenging herself to try new things as a songwriter. Allison enlisted Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never, to produce and record the album and the results are pretty stunning—still recognizably Soccer Mommy (catchy melodies, 90s-rock referencing riffs, insightful and heartbreaking lyrics), but with some darker, knottier sonic touches that allow Allison to explore different forms and moods than she has in the past. Lopatin’s production is great—not only for those instances when he’s helping to bring a different/OPN aesthetic to the forefront (on songs like “Unholy Affliction,” “newdemo,” “Darkness Forever,” and the horror tale of “Following Eyes”) but also with some subtle background stuff, like the clouds of synths on “Still” or the long noisy outro on “Bones.”
Allison’s singing about some of the same concerns and themes from “color theory,” namely that sadness and melancholy can be cyclical, you can escape them for a bit but you might never be free of those feelings entirely. But a lot of that is tempered on “Sometimes, Forever” with moments of real joy (like taking your old truck out for a long drive on “Feel It All the Time”), happiness, comfort, and contentment. “With U” and “Shotgun” are two of the most tender and romantic songs she’s written. Both songs deal with that “us-against-the-world” feeling of being in a loving relationship, and Allison’s lyrics capture some of the small, everyday aspects of being in a relationship that feels like a refuge. On “With U” she sings: “I’ve fallen/For the littlest things/About you and the way you are/Your laugh, your smile/The sleep talk you deny/And the feel of you next to me.” And later: “And wherever you’re going I’m going too/Nothing else matters when I’m with you.” And on “Shotgun,” one of the catchiest songs she’s written, she sings about some really good, quotidian stuff: “Fogged up the windows in the back/Coffee and menthol on your breath,” and this great verse, “Cold beer and ice cream is all we keep/The only things we really need/‘Cause I like dessert and alcohol/And watching as you get/Drunk and you’re stumbling in the hall.”
“Unholy Affliction” is probably the best example of how Lopatin’s production and Allison’s songwriting mesh really well together. As others have noted, this has a definite Portishead vibe, it has that creeping, dramatic, noir feel of some of that band’s early stuff especially, and it’s kind of surprising how well this suits Allison’s voice. She sings about how her desires, her yearning for perfection, are an addiction, and how those parts of her personality reside permanently in her blood and bones—a view of how our natures are to some extent inescapable, echoing topics she’s hit on in the past (like with “bloodstream”). On this song and “Following Eyes,” it’s thrilling to hear Allison’s bright, beautiful voice against lurching rhythms and heavier production.
“Sometimes, Forever” is a gorgeous and adventurous album. Allison seems to be reflecting on things that a lot of us are probably thinking about. The future does not look bright, for any number of reasons, but it’s also still good to take pleasure and comfort in the things that bring us joy, like caring relationships, cold beer and ice cream, or heading out in your truck towards the horizon.