Artist: Sophia Marie
Album: Foreigner
Los Angelas native Sophia Marie has released her debut EP, Foreigner. The album is available anywhere you get your music.
Foreigner is an exploration of Sophia’s feelings of being a foreigner both domestically and abroad. It draws most heavily upon her own personal relocation from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. to study International Politics at Georgetown University, the D.C. dating scene, and her helpless obsession over men with foreign accents. Sophia describes herself as an ambitious, lust-for-life, nomadic kind of girl; a hopeless romantic without a particular direction, one who doesn’t know exactly who she wants to be. She feels that her storytelling reflects that indecisiveness, that impulsiveness, and that desire to do everything while she’s young.
Foreigner consists of three tracks: Venice Beach to D.C.; Narcissist; and Foreigner. Sophia is currently shooting the music video for “Venice Beach to D.C.” with fellow Georgetown University student videographer and is hoping to release it by the end of March 2022.
Right off the bat, Sophia Marie gave me Olivia Rodriquez vibes. Sophia’s cover art for Foreigner is reminiscent of the cover art for Olivia’s debut album, Sour—the pouting, preppy girl against a child-like backdrop and bubble-gum pink bubble letters.
While Foreigner certainly sounds like it’s also influenced by Sour’s infamous combination of pop, pop-punk, and bedroom pop, it doesn’t quite hit the mark.
My main issue with the album is the lyrics. First, the lyrics are so specific to Sophia’s experiences. The lyrics focus on specific events in Sophia’s life, as opposed to the way she felt about those events. The ability for people to relate to the music is arguably the most important part of being a songwriter, and unfortunately, I don’t think many people would be able to relate to Sophia’s exact experiences. How many people in the world have grown up in California and moved to D.C. to study international politics? A few, I’m sure, but not enough to gain a real fan base. The song “Venice Beach to D.C.” contains lyrics like, “Find me in these dive bars/Beach blonde hair and a red guitar/I show up to lecture halls with bright pink Beats/No, I don’t stay out of the way/Neon clothes so they know I’m here to stay/Flip flops and short shorts and Aviator sweatshirts are a dead giveaway.” The track “Foreigner” is perhaps the most relatable track, for women who are really into shallow men with accents.
On top of being so specific, the lyrics lack any kind of flow. While Sophia has a lovely voice, the songs are delivered in a half-singing, half-speaking format that makes them feel choppy and all over the place. Again, this style is extremely reminiscent of many of the songs from Sour. I think Sophia has a lot of potential as an artist if she continues to work on her musicality. But, overall, I wasn’t a fan of Foreigner.
However, you can still check out Sophia Marie on Instagram.
