With her fourth album, Evergreen, Sophie Allison—better known as Soccer Mommy—has refined her ability to evolve without abandoning the raw, vulnerable intimacy that first drew listeners to her lo-fi bedroom pop. This latest release strikes a delicate balance between her stripped-back early sound and a new depth of reflection. The result is an album that feels like a quiet, confessional moment, where sorrow, nostalgia, and fantasy intertwine to create an introspective landscape.
At the core of Evergreen lies a profound sense of loss, as Allison grapples with the memory of someone who continues to haunt her thoughts and dreams. The album’s opener, “Lost,” reveals the sharp ache of this absence, as Allison reflects on the person who is “gone” and yet still present in her life. With a voice that is both tender and weary, she sings, “Two years gone by and I’m still pondering it all.” The track sets the tone for the album, where grief is a constant undercurrent, revisited in different ways throughout the record.
While Evergreen is undeniably steeped in sadness, it also explores the escape that fantasy can provide. On tracks like “Abigail,” Allison allows herself to retreat into a playful, imaginary world, invoking the character of Abigail from Stardew Valley. What starts as a whimsical homage turns into a love song for the digital age, where video game characters become a form of emotional refuge. This blending of fantasy and reality is a theme throughout Evergreen, as Allison looks to alternate universes to soften the blow of her grief.
The album’s music is just as tender as its lyrics. Allison returns to a familiar sparse arrangement, but with added texture that elevates the emotional weight of the songs. Tracks like “Salt in Wound” are anchored by rich, dark waves of sound, while “Thinking of You” builds a haunting atmosphere with delicate acoustic guitar and subtle, eerie effects. The album’s production is deceptively simple, with a few standout flourishes—such as the flute solo in the upbeat “M” and the orchestral strings on “Changes”—that create a dreamy, otherworldly atmosphere.
What sets Evergreen apart from its predecessors is the way Allison crafts a sense of yearning and reflection, rather than the impulsive energy of her earlier work. She sings about the struggle to move past memories, while simultaneously clinging to them, unable to let go of the comfort they provide. In the song “Dreaming of Falling,” she admits to being drawn to the “call of the void,” yet fights to stay grounded, captured by both the weight of the past and the desire to escape it.
Despite the pervasive sadness, Evergreen is ultimately a journey of growth and understanding. By the album’s close, Allison begins to reframe the concept of loss. The title track reveals a more accepting outlook: even though the past can never fully fade, it becomes part of the ongoing process of adaptation. “She cannot fade,” Allison sings, acknowledging that the people we lose live on with us, but not as ghosts—they evolve alongside us, shaping our future rather than holding us back.
With Evergreen, Soccer Mommy once again proves her ability to transform pain into art. The album’s wistful melodies and poetic lyrics capture the complexity of love, loss, and the passage of time, creating a deeply emotional and cathartic listening experience that lingers long after the final note fades. – Jason Felton