The Sophs – GOLDSTAR: New Music Friday

Artwork for the sophs album goldstar

The Sophs have released their debut album on New Music Friday – revisit Live4ever’s glowing review and stream ‘GOLDSTAR’ right here.

The music world’s legendarium is full of unlikely tales, from bands getting signed when playing what would’ve been their last gig, to writing their most famous number in five minutes flat.

One of the most durable is throwing demo tapes at labels with little apparent hope of them ever being listened to, before much to everyone’s surprise off goes something in your inbox.

And to give legs to this one, that’s exactly what happened when The Sophs frontman Ethan Ramon sent the sextet’s material to Rough Trade, only for founders Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee to invite Ramon and friends onto a video call.

The rest is what happens about one time in a million.

He’s joined on this adventure by Sam Yuh (keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (electric guitar), Seth Smades (acoustic guitar), Devin Russ (drums) and Cole Bobbitt (bass), the creative and cultural diversity of their Los Angeles home inspiring them to write songs that are an equivalent melting pot of abstracted ideas.

One of The Sophs’ most refreshing qualities is an acceptance that they’re not always in control – Ramon claiming, ‘We never try to be as versatile as we end up being’, before talking up their brazen magpie tendencies by declaring , ‘I want to steal and plagiarize and borrow’.

Reading all this, the vindictive part of you might want GOLDSTAR to fail for these reasons. Or the whiff of modishness about them. Or the story. The bad news is, you’re out of luck. In a seriously big way.

Opener THE DOG DIES IN THE END is a case in point. Starting off with a period folk leaning guitar, the lilting waltz then balloons into a Muse-esque shape, complete with an histrionic guitar solo; pretentious yes, but the sheer nerve has simply to be applauded.

Click here for the review in full