When you unpack it all, there’s a lot to dislike about The Sophs’ story up until now. Firstly they’re one of “Those” bands that send in a demo at random to some people at a famous label (In this case Geoff Travis at Rough Trade), then get signed pretty much off the back of it. Then there’s the LA buzz chatter about their incendiary live shows. Last but not least of these crimes is that, on the evidence of GOLDSTAR, they’re good. Really, really good.
Lead singer Ethan Ramon sent the tape, and with his bandmates Sam Yuh (keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (electric guitar), Seth Smades (acoustic guitar), Devin Russ (drums) and Cole Bobbitt (bass) makes up a sextet that are going to hubristically rub up plenty of people the wrong way in the next few months, whilst playing music that takes a lot of the current homogeneous slop around us and dumps it on it’s well boring ass.
On GOLDSTAR they’re clearly having the time of their lives; opener THE DOG DIES IN THE END sounds like Muse reading Kafka, whilst on the title track Ramon ponders whether people are just being socially acceptable for the sake of it. They verge on self parody – SWEETIEPIE features a mouth harp and a huge dollop you assume of youthful sarcasm – but SWEAT, BLITZED AGAIN and I’M YOUR FIEND are all diverting enough to convince that there’s much more to come. Like it or not, The Sophs aren’t gonna give you any quit, not now they’ve got your blood up.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 