Color Theory (album)
Color Theory | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 28, 2020 | |||
Studio | Alex the Great Recording (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:08 | |||
Label | Loma Vista | |||
Producer | Gabe Wax | |||
Soccer Mommy chronology | ||||
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Singles from Color Theory | ||||
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Color Theory (stylized in all lowercase) is the second studio album by American indie rock singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy, released on February 28, 2020, by Loma Vista Recordings.[1][2]
Background and recording
[edit]Sophie Allison used floppy disk samples, drum machines, and sound effects on the album.[3]
Composition
[edit]The album is divided into three parts, each named after a color. Allison has said the albums distinct sections "represent the problems that I’ve developed as I’ve grown up, and how they’ve changed me".[4]
Critical reception
[edit]This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2020) |
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10[5] |
Metacritic | 81/100[6] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Exclaim! | 9/10[8] |
The Guardian | [9] |
The Independent | [10] |
Mojo | [11] |
NME | [12] |
Pitchfork | 7.8/10[13] |
Q | [14] |
Rolling Stone | [15] |
The Times | [16] |
Color Theory was met with critical acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 22 reviews.[6]
Jayson Greene of Pitchfork wrote, "the second album from singer-songwriter Sophie Allison is piercing and unpredictable. In contrast to its bigger and brighter sound, the mood is grimmer, the emotional truths darker."[17] Michael Hann of The Guardian wrote "Sophie Allison’s second album deals with ill-health and despair, but you would hardly know it from the fantastic arrangements and tunes."[18] Hannah Mylrea of NME said the album is "as beautiful as it is brave".[19]
Accolades
[edit]Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
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Exclaim! | Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 41
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Gigwise | The Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020 | 16
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The Guardian | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 48
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Paste | Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | 8
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The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 7
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Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 26
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Rolling Stone | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 37
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Spin | Spin's 30 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | — | |
Stereogum | Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | 6
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The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 10
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Under the Radar | Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020 | 10
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Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Sophie Allison
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Bloodstream" | 5:37 |
2. | "Circle the Drain" | 4:40 |
3. | "Royal Screw Up" | 4:07 |
4. | "Night Swimming" | 4:16 |
5. | "Crawling in My Skin" | 4:17 |
6. | "Yellow Is the Color of Her Eyes" | 7:15 |
7. | "Up the Walls" | 2:44 |
8. | "Lucy" | 4:56 |
9. | "Stain" | 3:00 |
10. | "Gray Light" | 3:16 |
Total length: | 44:08 |
Personnel
[edit]Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[31]
Musicians
- Sophie Allison – vocals, songwriting (all tracks); acoustic guitar (1–4, 7, 8), electric guitar (1–6, 8–10), EPS 16 (3, 4), Prophet (5, 6, 10), Mellotron, Wurlitzer (6); keyboard (8), Juno (9)
- Rodrigo Avendaño – piano, SH-101, Prophet (1); SP-404 (2), electric guitar (5, 8), organ (7), keyboard (8)
- Julian Powell – electric guitar (1–8, 10), Wurlitzer (1), twelve-string guitar (2), piano (3, 4), acoustic guitar (5)
- Gabe Wax – SH-101 (1, 2), Prophet (1, 5, 6), EPS 16 (1, 5), Juno (2, 3), SP-404, percussion (2); electric guitar (3, 6), conga, ambience (3); background vocals (3, 6, 10), bass (4, 7), OP-1 (5), Wurlitzer (7, 10), shaker (7), keyboard (8), organ, drum programming (10)
- Graene Goetz – bass (1–3, 5, 6, 8, 10), MicroKORG (2)
- Ryan Elwell – drums (1–3, 5–8)
- Brett Resnick – pedal steel guitar (6, 10)
- Mary Lattimore – harp (6)
- Jackson Foraker – twelve-string guitar (7)
Production and artwork
- Gabe Wax – production, recording
- Boone Wallace – recording assistant
- Lars Stalfors – mixing
- Joe LaPorta – mastering
- Joe Nino-Hernes – vinyl cutting
- Brian Ziff – photography
- Lordess Foudre – package design
Charts
[edit]Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Scottish Albums (OCC)[32] | 52 |
US Billboard 200[33] | 142 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[34] | 7 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[35] | 22 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Hussey, Allison (January 14, 2020). "Soccer Mommy Announces New Album color theory, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ Shaffer, Claire (February 3, 2020). "Soccer Mommy Faces Down the Darkness". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ https://www.npr.org/2020/03/05/808956494/soccer-mommy-on-color-theory-i-want-to-keep-growing-until-i-hit-the-ceiling
- ^ Mylrea, Hannah (2020-02-27). "Soccer Mommy – 'Color Theory': a deeply moving account of personal pain set to warm lo-fi pop". NME. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "color theory by Soccer Mommy reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ a b "color theory by Soccer Mommy Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Donelson, Marcy. "color theory – Soccer Mommy". AllMusic. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Bell, Kaelen (February 25, 2020). "Soccer Mommy: color theory". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Hann, Michael (February 28, 2020). "Soccer Mommy: Color Theory review – grief and depression given glorious voice". The Guardian. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Bray, Elisa; O'Connor, Roisin; Yuill, Bessie (February 27, 2020). "Album reviews: Caribou, Princess Nokia and Soccer Mommy". The Independent. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Aston, Martin (March 2020). "Soccer Mommy: Color Theory". Mojo. No. 316. p. 92.
- ^ Mylrea, Hannah (February 27, 2020). "Soccer Mommy – 'Color Theory': a deeply moving account of personal pain set to warm lo-fi pop". NME. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Greene, Jayson (February 28, 2020). "Soccer Mommy: color theory". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Cooper, Leonie (March 2020). "Soccer Mommy: Color Theory". Q. No. 408. p. 122.
- ^ Martoccio, Angie (March 2, 2020). "Soccer Mommy Channels Sweet, Nineties-Steeped Sadness on 'Color Theory'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (February 28, 2020). "Soccer Mommy: Color Theory review — American indie star's exercise in self‑loathing is ever so loveable". The Times. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Greene, Jayson. "Soccer Mommy: color theory". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ Hann, Michael (2020-02-28). "Soccer Mommy: Color Theory review – grief and depression given glorious voice". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ Mylrea, Hannah (2020-02-27). "Soccer Mommy – 'Color Theory': a deeply moving account of personal pain set to warm lo-fi pop". NME. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ "50 Best Albums of 2020". Exclaim!. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "51 Best Albums of 2020". Gigwise. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "The best albums of 2020 so far". The Guardian. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Paste. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Paste. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ Spin Staff (May 21, 2020). "The 30 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Spin. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ "Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Stereogum. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2020". Stereogum. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ Color Theory (booklet). Soccer Mommy. Loma Vista. 2021. LVR00855
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200". Billboard on Twitter. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ "Alternative Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums Charts". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
External links
[edit]- Color Theory at Discogs (list of releases)