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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
She's essentially taken what worked well the first time and managed to only enhance the things that needed to be, while keeping everything else perfect.
100
With effortless cool, razor-sharp riffs and wise takes on adolescence, Soccer Mommy surpasses expectations on color theory.
100
Soccer Mommy has grown tremendously as an artist in the two years since her last album, and it's obvious that she hasn't even yet reached the pinnacle of her musical prowess.
100
Though the emotions expressed might be broad, Allison's unvarnished writing allows for moments of penetrating nuance.
90
color theory is an astounding feat of lyricism as clever as it is devastating.
90
It’s a heavy, at times uncomfortable listen, but one that feels intensely relatable. It finds strength in the somber and the morose by paining it in bright colors and wonderful riff work.
90
It’s a lovely collection of songs that should only enhance Allison’s standing as one of the premier talents of her generation, female or otherwise.
90
A darker and more complex record, it displays a newfound maturity in Allison's arrangements and a decidedly higher set of stakes.
90
She encapsulates the spiralling mundanity of feeling blue without sugar coating it with unnecessary poetry.
85
Soccer Mommy has made bitter truths sound sweet without losing the harsh edges that give them poignant meaning. On color theory, Allison continues to push forward as one of the brightest talents in her genre.
83
Where accumulation can often feel like a build to a grand, orchestrated finale, Allison uses it instead to create the feeling over the course of this album of something coming apart and being laid bare.
80
She has pulled off the difficult trick of developing a new signature sound, without losing the personal perspective that separated her from the pack in the first place.
80
Misery and beauty on Nashvillian's second studio album.
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3y
80
A leap forward on Nashville native's second, with band.
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3y
80
Color Theory is a lyrically sophisticated collection that doesn’t shy from some heavy subject matter.
80
Color Theory finds her digging deeper, both lyrically and sonically.
80
Sophie Allison follows her 2018 breakthrough with a sucker punch of emotion.
80
Though the songs here aren't quite as immediately infectious as Clean, its combination of deceptively warm surfaces, alluring melodies, and subtly distorted textures reward repeat listens with that sense of discovery.
80
As explorations of pain go, ‘Color Theory’ is as beautiful as it is brave.
80
Color Theory is a glorious record: the lyrics, delivered in a plain uninflected voice by Allison – melodic, but not in the least showy – are paired with tunes and arrangements that leap out.
80
Here, she ruminates on the small pockets of beauty against a darkened exterior, presenting both the rainbow and the grey sky. Soccer Mommy is one of Gen Z’s most gifted storytellers.
79
There’s no denying that it’s impressively brave to have put out an album this explicitly personal at a relatively young age.
78
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.
75
As Allison processes a lifetime’s worth of trouble, she mixes moods of indie-rock for a record that goes through the worst of it and keeps on playing.
75
Color Theory is an album both of pure catharsis, and proof of musical prowess.
70
Allison’s progression as a songwriter is more acutely evident in the album’s darker, weightier subject matter.
60
There’s nothing particularly troubling or outright bad, again, it’s a pleasant listen, but subtracting the cute, self-aware lyrics and smart lo-fi songwriting makes Color Theory one note, one hue of sunny orange.
60
Although Allison had a particular vision for the project, it's tempting to wonder how much tighter the final product would've felt had it been put through a more rigorous edit.
60
Early 1990s-style introspection makes for an uneasy listen.
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3y
Holy shit this girl has talent. She's one of my favorite artists in the world, and she didn't slow down on Color Theory at all. She basically took Clean and added some juice to it. It's less somber and it has a certain retro energy that I can't get enough of. Gray Light might be my favorite song Sophie has ever made, and I'd be very surprised if this isn't album of the year for me. I know it's early, but it would take something big to one up this
Sophie Allison (aka Soccer Mommy) didn't just try to reproduce what she did so well on Clean, she perfected her art to make Color Theory even more impressive, making this new album her best to date!
There's something uplifting about listening to Soccer Mommy, it's that feeling and that sweet smell of nostalgia around her indie rock that permeates the 90's and reminds me of so many things. Yet this feeling could be something vicious when you think about it, since it can soften your real ... read more
For many, the introduction to Soccer Mommy was from her solid outing on her first proper album Clean. Sophie Allison's 2018 release was a breakout of sorts from her bedroom indie pop, with a refreshing tone and exceptional flow. On color theory, Soccer Mommy maintains that momentum in many respects but expands on her previous sound with the help of expansive production.
Allison has such a delicate voice, yet it comes with bite that makes her stand out over her contemporaries. The lush tone of ... read more
Listening To Artists Who Release Albums In September Day 5/5
Dang, the album is called ‘color theory’, but only two songs have names with colors in them… and one isn’t even in the rainbow! Rainbow hater?
soccer mommy is your typical Indie Rock singer with a bit of influence from artists such as Lorde and Lana Del Rey that are visible in her formatting. The project itself, while gorgeous, can be a bit boring, never really developing into something greater than how it ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | bloodstream 5:37 | 80 |
| 2 | circle the drain 4:40 | 87 |
| 3 | royal screw up 4:07 | 80 |
| 4 | night swimming 4:16 | 80 |
| 5 | crawling in my skin 4:17 | 78 |
| 6 | yellow is the color of her eyes 7:15 | 84 |
| 7 | up the walls 2:44 | 80 |
| 8 | lucy 4:56 | 76 |
| 9 | stain 3:00 | 75 |
| 10 | gray light 3:16 | 77 |
Total Length: 44 minutes
Year End Lists
| #4 | / | The A.V. Club |
| #5 | / | Good Morning America |
| #6 | / | FLOOD |
| #6 | / | Variety: Andrew Barker |
| #7 | / | Chorus.fm |
| #7 | / | Paste |
| #8 | / | The Alternative |
| #10 | / | Stereogum |
| #10 | / | Under the Radar |
| #12 | / | Esquire (UK) |
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1w
yellow is the color of her eyes kinda predates sometimes forever, and it's easily soccer mommy's best song
1y
Weak sauce. Teenage uncertainity and the hormonal challenge. I mos def can see how people relate to the lyrics. Way too simple in their obviousness. Which is my hindsight addressing the album's relevance. - @daFigz™
Added on: January 14, 2020