Ah the difficult second album, it’s something every artist either embraces or dreads, it usually goes one of a few ways, you either make something too similar to the first album or you go in a completely different direction and alienate your fan base.
It is a difficult tightrope to walk for any artist, but Soccer Mommy manages to make it look even more impressive as if she is walking the tightrope in a gale force nine wind. Her first album ‘Clean’, only released two years ago managed to show everyone her talents and earning critical acclaim in the process.
The new album titled ‘Color Theory’, feels like a natural progression rather than dramatic evolution, and manages to be understated but at the same time lyrically and instrumentally more inventive.
The album has samples scattered here and there alongside traditional instrumentation, and also manages to traverse lyrical topics such as mental health and terminal illness of close family.
Soccer Mommy manages to do this with emotional sincerity and openness with a dash of humour as well at points.
Standout tracks such as ‘Circle the Drain’, which is a mixture of understated guitar pop but also lyrics tackling her mental health.
Next track ‘Royal Screw Up’ also manages to do this but with a more acoustic vibe to the instrumentals along with witty lyrics such as “I’m the princess of screwing up”.
Tracks go from having more energy than others and but manages to keep a consistent tone through the album, from the dreamy yet haunting ‘Night Swimming’ to tour de force ‘Yellow Is the Color Of Her Eyes’, which chronicles her feeling as if she is losing time while on tour and away from her terminally ill mother and manages to do so with open-heartedness whilst combined with the relaxed instrumentation makes it one of the most interesting tracks on the album.
Album closer ‘Gray Light’ combines sampled beats with a wide range of instrumentation to give the track a different flavour to the album whilst also tackling the subject of the inevitability of death.
Soccer Mommy has managed to create an album full of sincerity, pathos, and humour whilst also progressing as an artist lyrically and instrumentally.
It’s no surprise then, that Soccer Mommy has scored again.
