The Sophs - GOLDSTAR (Limited Edition on Transparent Red Vinyl)

Los Angeles six-piece The Sophs have ridden a wave of notoriety ever since signing to Rough Trade Records on the strength of their demos - which they cold-emailed to labelheads Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee before they ever even played a show. Following last year’s releases of stand-alone singles "I’M YOUR FIEND", "SWEAT", and "DEATH IN THE FAMILY" and worldwide touring, the band have unleashed their debut album GOLDSTAR.

The band’s brutal honesty, flamingly intrusive thoughts, and broad genre-spreading caught the attention of Rough Trade founders Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee immediately. When Ramon sent a demo reel out to his favorite indies, he wasn’t expecting any replies. But Travis and Lee were in his inbox the next day, asking if he’d hop on a call. Rough Trade heard the sort of creativity and variety — and “don’t expect me to act pretty” sentiment — that could get The Sophs — including Ramon, Sam Yuh (keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (electric guitar), Seth Smades (acoustic guitar), Devin Russ (drums), and Cole Bobbitt (bass) — a slot on nearly any stage. At any moment, The Sophs are entering pop-punk; blazing through funk; talk-singing to the audience. Their enthusiasm for every iteration is evident, and Ramon’s rich, full voice deftly nestles into endless categories, utterly chameleonic.

Most of The Sophs’ songs don’t let the listener relax — mostly because you never know what’s coming next. The band has a passion for sudden and complete destruction, for playing with the tension between pulled-back silence and total explosion. That’s where you hear The Sophs members’ as they really are: explosively positive, happy, collaborative. Think of the “degenerative posturing” instead as a “jester’s privilege.” When they’re playing together in a room, you see nothing like the character they’re putting forward. Instead, you feel a bombastic, thrilling energy that underlies the sextet’s creative power.