Soccer Mommy - Evergreen
It's not a dream
It's real as anything to me
2024 has been an extremely productive year for singer-songwriters, particularly in genres like folk and indie; we’ve had albums from artists like Adrianne Lenker, Lizzy McAlpine, Clairo, Maggie Rogers, Bon Iver and many more. The latest to join this list is Soccer Mommy, with her sixth studio album, “Evergreen”. So, does the album deliver a similar standard of music to its competition this year? Sort of.
Let’s address the elephant in the room - Soccer Mommy sounds quite a bit like Phoebe Bridgers. This is easiest to hear in the vocals, but also in some of the instrumentals and the production style. However, despite this, while “Evergreen” isn’t the most original body of work sonically, a unique artistic soul is definitely still present in how Soccer Mommy approaches her work on the record. Songs like “Abigail” or “M” in particular have an extremely singular charm to them within the songwriting, making them special in a way that is totally independent of the sound. They feel exquisitely tender and gentle, which gives them a real heartwarming and captivating quality. This fairly consistent delicate beauty is given variety throughout the record by the variations in the tone of the instrumentals - some, like on “The Driver”, are punchier, whilst others, such as on the title track, “Evergreen”, are more low-key and subtle. This tonal variety also considerably helps keep the album engaging and unique.
Overall, “Evergreen” does more than enough to justify its existence within the packed indie space. The “timelessness” of the sound of this album can arguably be well-described by the title: the foundations, the essential elements of indie rock and indie folk don’t lose their shine as more people continue to do them. The tight, eleven-track length means the album does a great job of maintaining the listener’s interest and not overstaying its welcome; Soccer Mommy is an endearing narrator throughout, with the level of songwriting staying consistently pretty high as the album progresses. It’s not a phenomenal album, but it’s still very solid.
7.6/10