The second album from Soph Nathan's band opens with a delicate image of comfort. And closeness, warmth and friendship are the main themes of the new songs by the English musician, who hadn't released new music with drummer Lauren Wilson and bassist Joshua Tyler for six years. Despite the long period of time and the various musical experiences outside the band (Nathan is the guitarist of Big Moon), the harmony of the trio is more evident than ever. The visceral energy that characterized “Stranger Today” has indeed remained intact, but the sound it is more refined in small details than the debut, also thanks to the collaboration of the legendary John Parish and Fern Ford (another Big Moon musician) during the production.
In fact, the less impetuous pieces, such as the title track, delicate indie-pop ballad graced by a string section, “Unlike Anything,” with its slow groove a la Warpaint, or “I Don't Mind,” in which Soph reflects on her connection to the background migration of his family. The anthem is instead related to a younger version of himself queer “Relief”: Nathan sweetly dialogues not only with his past, but with all the people who see their sexuality crushed, limited or hidden by a still widespread “compulsory heterosexuality” and by heteronormative practices. A song that is, once again, an embrace of comfort, a glimpse into a perceived loneliness, and above all a vital impulse full of hope.
I hope you see, that you can be
The best version of any family
You're not on your own I'm right here, believe me
Whatever you want you deserve it completely
08/11/2024
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
