Soccer Mommy Delivers Heart Wrenching Tiny Desk Concert; Announces Upcoming Tour with the National

Soccer Mommy’s music has always been immensely private and heartfelt. Nowhere is this displayed as strongly as her latest tiny desk concert at NPR.

This is Soccer Mommy’s second Tiny Desk Concert; however, it is the first that she is performing at NPR. Her first scheduled tiny desk would turn out to be the first one that was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Sophie Allison, who performs under the Soccer Mommy moniker, would have to do hers virtually via an iPhone recording and with the help of an acoustic guitar. Now three years later, she is back and finally able to perform in person. The excitement of being able to do so can be seen in Allison, as she remarks “We’re finally doing it”, after the first song of performance.

Soccer Mommy performs four songs with a small band consisting of Julian Powell on guitar, Rodrigo Avendano playing the keyboards, Nickolas Widener on bass and Rollum Haas operating the drum machine. The songs include “Shotgun” and “newdemo” from her latest album, as well as including “circle the drain” and “Still Clean”.

Allison’s performances are heavily stripped down from their studio versions. Her voice is strong and powerful among the sparse instrumentation. Huddled around the desk, the show feels intimate and personal. It almost feels as if the band is a friend of yours and they are just singing to help you deal with all the problems in your life. The concentration and emotion present on Allison’s face translate extremely well to her singing and playing, and will no doubt tug the heartstrings of anyone watching.

Harkening influences from musicians such as Mitski and Slowdive, Soccer Mommy has emerged as one of the most important figures in indie music today. Her music is relatable, packs an intense emotional punch and is extremely well written. Soccer Mommy’s latest release Sometimes, Forever sees her at her most bold and was highly received by critics and fans alike. Several magazines placed it among their best albums of 2022, with Pitchfork placing it at number 45.

Soccer Mommy will be the opener for The National’s upcoming tour that will see them across venues in North America and later the UK. For more information about the tour, you can visit her website. You can follow Soccer Mommy on Facebook and Instagram, and you can listen to their music on YouTube and Spotify.