Clean

Like Lucy Dacus’ Historian, Soccer Mommy’s Clean is an album of great, uncomplicated tunes and incisive lyrics. Sophie Allison, the woman behind the project, considers this to be her first true album; if we’re to think of it as a debut, it’ll probably go down as one of the best of the year. Allison has said that she grew up listening to Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne, and this is reflected in her lyrics, which are detailed and relatable, and passionately sung. The guitar riffs may not get stuck in your head, but turns of phrase like “Kiss you in the park / We’ll meet up after dark / It’s a bite of the apple, the touch of your lips” will surely get you thinking about your own high school crushes. Smart, cinematic songwriting.

FCCs: 2, 3
Favorites: 1, 5, 6, 8

1) “Still Clean” (4:02)* – Singing over a clean electric guitar riff. The kind-of-breathy vocals sit at odds with the evocative, brutal lyrics. There’s a sudden change in the music at 3:13, when it shifts to acoustic guitar and a flourish of other instrumentation.
2) “Cool” (3:16) – FCC “f***.” Light, shimmering guitar riff. Lyrics about a wanting to be a cool girl that eats boys alive. Guitar solo at the end sounds like it’s warping off the tape. (The sticker on the CD says that we can get clean versions of this track and the following one in a download. We should do that.)
3) “Your Dog” (3:14) – FCC “f***.” Perky guitar riff and upbeat drums belie the fact that the song’s about wanting to get out of an emotionally abusive relationship. Builds to a great release in the last minute.
4) “Flaw” (3:42)* – A softer, almost entirely acoustic cut. Lyrics are about a ruined relationship…and possibly something more sinister. Electric guitar and bass become more prominent in the final minute.
5) “Blossom (Wasting All My Time)” (3:12)* – A spare and frankly pretty heart-wrenching acoustic ballad. There’s some really beautiful swells of instrumentation around the choruses that pulls you into the Allison’s lyrics.
6) “Last Girl” (3:35) – Upbeat guitar rock with punchy percussion. Lyrics are about insecurity, and being jealous of your boyfriend’s ex.
7) “Skin” (4:02) – A bit of a rawer feel to this track. The guitar, bass, and drums all feel fully and hefty, but not particularly loud. At least, not until the last minute.
8) “Scorpio Rising” (4:43)* – I’ve heard this song in particular compared to Taylor Swift, and with good reason: The lyrics are relatable and richly detailed, blowing up relationship drama to monolithic proportions. Acoustic intro unfolds into gently strummed electric guitar chords, bursting into a climax after 3:30.
9) “Interlude” (1:39) – Instrumental that mixes acoustic guitar riff with electric guitar effects.
10) “Wildflowers” (3:19) – A mellow comedown. Mostly singing and acoustic guitar, though electric guitar, bass, and drums make a sudden (but subtle) entrance at 2:06 until the end of the song.