The Sophs - GOLDSTAR

The Sophs are used to making a big first impression. The story goes that the Los Angeles six piece were signed to Rough Trade off the back of a demo sent with resigned hope, but that saw them being called by the label the very next day. Subsequent debut single ‘SWEAT’ similarly turned heads immediately, with its broken vocals and snarling guitars. But it’s no surprise really that the song’s East Coast, Strokes-esque drawl isn’t fully representative of the West Coasters, with their home city’s sun-kissed hedonism and multiculturalism overflowing through the album’s ten tracks, each as brilliantly unpredictable as the next. Take the tellingly playfully titled opener ‘THE DOG DIES IN THE END’ and its sudden declaration of hatred for the four-legged friend moments before the song’s riff truly drops, introducing a record deliberately placing frontman Ethan Ramon as an unlikely protagonist seeking redemption. As the title track toys with mariachi over electric guitars, soundtracking Ethan’s deep-rooted yearning for validation, it’s clear that The Sophs pride themselves and their success on ripping apart the rulebook. Cold dropping a demo tape without having ever played a live show and being signed the next day, it seems, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Elsewhere, ‘GOLDSTAR’ leans into lounge jazz, hillbilly hoedowns, and wishes for a death in the family to liven things up, while penultimate track ‘They Told Me Jump, I Said How High’ offers a perfectly baffling, rambling stream of consciousness. It’s whimsical, yes, but The Sophs carry it with a raucous expertise akin to the lofty comparisons drawn out by their 2025 run of singles. As a collection, ‘GOLDSTAR’ is the type of first impression that may well leave one slightly lost, a little confused, and with their head certainly spinning, but after it all anyone who meets them will be damn happy they did.