When I was at college I had no idea what I was doing, I just meandered around and tried to figure out what I was going to do with my life. Then you have bands like Sophie And The Giants who formed whilst they were at college, began creating some sublime music and in turn got the chance to tour with Jon McClure (The Makers and Reverend) and experience life on the road. This turned out to be invaluable as the band continued to tour across the UK with the likes of Tom Grennan and Pretty Vicious honing their songwriting skills and ability to effortlessly perform in-front of packed crowds.
Now the band have just dropped their debut EP Adolescence that is filled with melodic, high energy, powerful and punchy tracks that are a treat to listen too. At the centre of all of their tracks though is Sophie Scott, lead singer, who’s teenage life has been chronicled within this EP, hence the title, with songs focusing on things Sophie Scott has experienced such as human error, toxic relationships and that transition from adolescence to adulthood with honest lyrics that strike the right note every time.
Waste My Air is the perfect way to kick off the EP in style with an emotive vocal display, powerful guitars and an eclectic production that brings a huge amount of energy to the track that makes it a joy to listen too. The track was written by Sophie Scott recounting the end of her toxic relationship with the previous guitarist of the band and her flatmate too. “I was blinded by love for a long time, and put up with shit for a long time, and I realised I’d wasted a lot of my own time,” Sophie Scott recalls. “I had an epiphany, packed my stuff and was out the same day. I knew I needed to stop people walking over me and making me feel like shit. In that moment, I was the strongest I’d ever felt. Waste My Air is about how I felt once I was out of that relationship.”
Quickly after we’re given my favourite track the band have released called Space Girl which is more feisty and upfront style lyrically compared to it’s predecessor. This is an alternative pop anthem unlike any other with a high flying chorus that makes an immediate impact along with a luscious vocal display that is reminiscent of Florence Welch, big praise right there. I would call this a stadium anthem, no matter how big the venue they perform at this song will have the audience jumping up and down and singing at the top of their voices in no time.
Then we have the final track Bulldog that ends this EP off on a near perfect note. The track has a punk edge to it with the heavy guitar range along with the raw lyrics that paint a picture effortlessly as well as continuing the energy that the previous track had. With this whole EP focusing on the trials of youth and that transition to adulthood it seems like the lyric, “look into the eyes of the bulldog,” captures this theme perfectly and ends the EP in a beautiful and almost poetic way.
Overall this EP is a spectacular debut from the band and is a breath of fresh air compared to the usual debuts we hear. They have a fresh sound that makes them stand out amongst the crowd and all I can say is that they’re a band well worth keeping on your radar.
“It’s time for music to be born again. It’s not about looking at people on stage and thinking, ‘I wish I could do that’. It’s about looking at people on stage and deciding, ‘I’m going to do that.’” – Bailey Stapledon, bass player of Sophie And The Giants
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