Coming all the way across the Atlantic from Nashville, Soccer Mommy (Sophie Allison) is embarking on her first ever UK tour to coincide with the release of her latest album, Collection. Sophie’s sound is one laced with sombreness, yet meets audiences with an airy feel that is simply infectious. We caught up with Sophie following the Brighton date of the tour to see how the young artist is finding touring another continent.

So how’s your UK tour treating you?
It’s good, we just had our second show over here but it seems to be going pretty good.

Today your Collection album is released, how are you celebrating?
Umm, I’ve just been sleeping in, I’ve just been super jet lagged. I didn’t really make myself adjust so I’m kind of not really on the schedule.

Your music is really poetic for someone aged 20, where do you find the majority of your material from?
Usually I sort of pull from past experience, like not just one, I try to piece together a lot of past experiences to make one feeling in a song, I guess. Rather than writing about just one person, I try to piece together multiple things that make me feel the same way.

So how have you found coming over to the UK? Especially by yourself, has it all been pretty good?
It’s been pretty cool so far, my label people are over here so it’s not like I’m just totally alone, I do have people I know over here. But yeah, it is kind of crazy to be across the world playing music, this is the first other country I’ve really played in except for like one show in Canada, but it’s not really the same feeling.

Would you say the music scene here is pretty similar to the US? How do they compare?
Yeah, I think so, they don’t seem that different, there are similar kind of venues and similar kinds of bands pretty much. I think it’s a lot closer than a lot of other countries might be.

You’re starting to conquer the UK, so where’s next?
We’re doing two more US tours, actually maybe three that we have scheduled out right now, we’re just going to try to make it around the whole of the US to cover all of that, then a little bit more of Canada too. I think we’re going to try to come back to the UK, I don’t know when yet, but it’s definitely in the works and maybe trying to get me back over here with more people next time.

Yeah it would be amazing to hear tracks like ‘Out Worn’ live, especially with the full band. I suppose you must be a little bit limited as to what you can play on the set lists?
Yeah, totally. I like to play all of those songs, but solo it just sounds so empty, so I have had to stick to stuff which is already solo.

Have you got anything else in the mix?
I’m already working on a new album, so that will be coming out probably next year. It’s probably going to be ten tracks, I think? Around there, all new stuff.

I think the eight track mark on the new one is a really nice length, it captures your sound really well and feels just right.
Yeah I think it is a good amount, that’s why I’ve always used eight track albums. I’d usually do around four song EPs and maybe piece two together to make an album.

You ended your set with a new song in Brighton, is that new song similar to what will be on the next album?
Yeah that new one will be on the next album, I think it is a little bit different. I think sound wise, it will definitely be a lot fuller and, I’m aiming for it to be a little bit darker than the stuff on Collection. I think writing-wise, it’s not exactly focused on the same thing, I mean it still focuses on relationships, but it more focuses on the way I am in them and more on trying to be someone your not, and realising you can’t ever be different from who you are.

Seems as a lot of your material does come from relationships, how do you sit down and craft those feelings into a song?
I sit down and talk, I write it out, I don’t know. When I’m thinking about a feeling that I’m experiencing, I’m usually thinking about different moments that made me feel that way throughout my life. It’s really easy to grab those things and toss them in when I’m already kind of thinking about them, then I’ll just try to use the words to try to connect all of the pieces. Instead of writing down completely different things, I’ll just try to use all of these experiences and words in a way that connects.

There is definitely a contingency in your music, where it flows really nicely, thats certainly something you don’t come across that often! Well I hope the rest of your tour goes amazingly, thanks so much for talking to us and we’ll see you soon!

Ben Walker

Facebook: facebook.com/soccermommymusic
Twitter: twitter.com/sopharela