SOPHIE: SOPHIE Album Evaluate | Pitchfork

It’s tempting to think about the sequencing as a queering of custom, with a gap part of principally noise and spoken-word sci-fi ruminations to preemptively drag any worries of “the troublesome second album” syndrome. But it’s additionally structured in the usual dance music “huge night time out” combine, with an ambient starting, vocal pop warmup, deep and drugged-out techno heart, and blissed-out sendoff. Sophie might sequence in each sense of the phrase, however SOPHIE feels preprogrammed.

It’s a sense strengthened by the grouping of assorted tracks made with the identical collaborators. Possibly this can be a approach of emphasizing her perception in them; possibly it’s like a runway present, when a designer sends all of the yellow attire out collectively. Someway, it units them into competitors. Take the second aspect’s bunch of BC Kingdom collabs. Every takes on the type of syncopated organ base which has been a dance-pop constructing block since at the very least “Present Me Love.” “Motive Why” is the trap-pop model, “Reside In My Fact” rings out with early 2000s R&B sass, and “Why Lies” brings a freestyle beat to the social gathering.

Lined up in a row, you type of simply need to pull one off the stage with an enormous hook. “Reside In My Fact” is all party-hearty aphorisms and, pay attention: The stakes of celebrating are too usually life-and-death for queer, and particularly trans, individuals. Generally we get eye-watering monuments to resilience and pleasure on a monitor like “Immaterial.” Right here, it’s only a hand elevating up a Solo cup. However the candy-coated joie de vivre of “Why Lies” is plain, with lyrics like “Please save the drama in your mama/And your daddy/And your granny” which are so dumb you simply need to sing alongside. As for the glistening if sluggish “Motive Why” and Kim Petras’ “getting cash like a DJ” line, not a lot.

SOPHIE’s brother has mentioned that the album’s techno heart was largely created dwell, like a DJ making mixes. It sounds that approach. If SOPHIE’s greatest work usually performed prefer it was beamed totally from her mind, tracks like “Magnificence” and “One Extra Time,” each that includes Popstar, present their hand way more—their BPMs slide round, their beats crossfade, they symbolize the lengthy custom of knob twiddling. Tracks additionally look again: “Gallop” is a bit gabba gem for the generations of girlies who gained’t decelerate, whereas “Berlin Nightmare” frets and struts like prime Inexperienced Velvet. I suppose we’ll by no means know if these moments have been her laying breadcrumbs of early influences on her path to someplace new, or simply the pleasure of remembering. Time will inform if any of them are as memorable as, say, “Ponyboy.”