Soccer Mommy, one of today's brightest indie-rock songwriting talents, recently sat down with Fender for the latest addition to its Fender Sessions series, during which she took a deep dive into her writing process, the meaning behind the tracks, and how she originally “fell in love” with the guitar.
Wielding an American Professional II HSS Strat, Soccer Mommy – aka Sophia Allison – treated listeners to three tracks from her 2020 record color theory, which showcased her effortless blend of poignant, storytelling lyrics and expertly crafted chordal rhythms.
Kicking off with color theory’s opening track bloodstream, Allison revealed it was “one of the hardest songs to write” – “I wanted it to be this well-crafted thing, where the verses were comparing being young and lively, to being my age and really unlively [laughs].”
The track is also a testament to Soccer Mommy's story-like approach to songwriting, which combines tasty clean electric guitar work with melancholic vocals. It wasn't an ability that came naturally, though.
“I don’t think I actually felt proud and expressive in my writing until I was 17,” says Allison after performing royal screw up, which she says is about “a general feeling of not being good enough… and being your own worst enemy”.
“For a long time I was just writing catchy melodies and hooks about stuff like love, and stuff that I was not at all experienced in. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I started to write something that meant anything at all.”
I don't think I'll ever be at the front of a stage without a guitar. When you're playing, it just feels like an extension of you
Going even deeper into her writing process, Allison continues, “I am someone who likes to experiment with different sounds, even though obviously my music isn’t that out there. I’m really interested in trying stuff that sounds different and that has a different vibe.”
After she performs final track, circle the drain – which she wrote in a van on tour – Allison reveals her affinity for the guitars, sharing, “I feel very attached to my guitars, personally.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be at the front of a stage without a guitar. I don’t think of myself much as a singer,” she explains. “When you’re playing, it just feels like an extension of you. I’ve always loved writing, and it’s just so easy to write songs on the guitar. I just fell in love with it.”
“It was always something I was really drawn to – I don't know why I was and I don't know why I did it, but every day I would want to play the guitar."
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