Sophie Allison finally brought Soccer Mommy to NPR’s Tiny Desk. By herself, Allison played the very first in the network’s series of Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts in March 2020, following the group’s breakout second full-length Color Theory. But by the time they made it to the real Tiny Desk, it was to celebrate Sometimes, Foreverone of Scene writers’ favorite albums of 2022.
Backed by her longtime band, all sporting Soccer Mommy T-shirts — Julian Powell on guitar, Rodrigo Avendano on keys, Nickolas Widener on bass and Rollum Hass on a drum machine — Allison kicked off the four-song set with a warm, stripped- back rendition of “Shotgun.” The lead single from Sometimes, Forever, it’s Soccer Mommy’s highest-charting single to date, hitting No. 13 on Billboard‘s Adult Alternative Airplay chart last year. In the song, Allison describes the oblivious bliss of a new relationship, with the refrain “Whenever you want me I’ll be around / I”ma bullet in a shotgun waiting to sound” echoing throughout.
The band also breezed through the latest album’s “Newdemo,” which as performed here sounds like a long-lost Sam Phillips ballad from her Gilmore Girls days. The set was rounded out with a trip through the other albums in Soccer Mommy’s discography, via “Circle the Drain” from Color Theory and “Still Clean” from 2018’s Clean.
After touring through Australia next month, Soccer Mommy will be back in the States for a set at Atlanta’s Shaky Knees festival in May followed by a tour of North America and the UK supporting The National. (However, they won’t be opening for The National in Nashville on Aug. 15; that honor goes to New Zealand’s The Beths.) You can check out Soccer Mommy’s Instagram account for further tour and music updates.
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