One of the very few cool by products of the pandemic has been watching friends realize that being alone isn’t nearly as bad as they’d feared it would be. There’s always been a certain dread that comes with realizing you’ve got nothing lined up for the weekend on a Friday night, which, I think thanks to having nothing lined up for over a year, many of us have learned to make the most of this time alone, ultimately realizing the vast difference between being alone and being lonely. I really love the energy of this Soot Sprite song which covers this exact lyrical territory—albeit seemingly within the context of a relationship—while the band’s grungy dream pop does little to elicit any unnecessary pity for the narrator, instead bolstering her appeal for independence.
Poltergeists is a superb step forward for Soot Sprite, expanding on the charms of Sharp Tongue without ever forgetting what was so exciting about that record in the first place. The record was largely written and recorded during the UK-wide lockdown and finds vocalist Elise Cook questioning relationships, and ultimately herself, as she explains it is ultimately a record about, “being able to accept myself, move on, and celebrate the accomplishments I’d made in my life regardless of others“. The progress in Soot Sprite’s song writing is evident from the moment the opening track Assisted Thrills rolls in, with its loose emo-punk influenced guitars and rolling drums forming a perfect backdrop to Elise’s poised vocal, as she ruminates on an unclear relationship, “I thought this tangle was supposed to be fun, now I’m knotted up with the words you didn’t mean”.
From Soot Sprite’s ‘Poltergeists’ EP out 29th October via Specialist Subject Records
The Fat Angel Sings 