Hyped up L.A. band The Sophs are set to drop their debut full-length this week. With Goldstar hitting on the esteemed Rough Trade imprint, it seems like the stars are aligned for this lot of upstarts. How's the record though?
What's here on Goldstar is largely brash and lively. From the Queen-influenced opener "The Dog Dies in the End" and on to the Supergrass-y title track, this album has a lot of fire in its grooves. On the yearning "Blitzed Again" and the gentler "Sweat" we can hear the same sort of thing that keeps acts like Sam Fender popular in the U.K. "They Told Me Jump, I Said How High" even goes further, referencing by name Sarah Nixey of Brit geniuses Black Box Recorder. There's a lot here as winning as that one too, with most of the better tracks on this Sophs debut having a real ramshackle vibe to them which is admittedly infectious. "House", a highlight here, takes that sound and makes it heartfelt and the results are pretty darn good.
The Sophs are not treading new ground here but that's fine. Goldstar is very energetic and catchy in the right ways. So much of this seems to sound like lots of Brit stuff of the last few decades, but The Sophs manage to make this kind of material sound fresh again. And that's remarkable, really.
Goldstar by The Sophs is out this week on Rough Trade.
[Photo: Eric Daniels]