There are a lot of mixed opinions on posthumous albums. While I try to be as open with my views as possible, I often fall into the camp of disliking posthumous releases. In recent memory, I’ve thought almost all albums released after an artist’s death have been either downright terrible or unmemorable. With no surprise, this is because when an artist dies, the work they leave behind is often unfinished. It’s almost as if you started a painting, completed half of the canvas and then went to someone else and asked them to finish the painting for you. Hypothetically, they could, but then that piece of art would not be the same as when you started.
This is all to say today’s review is on a posthumous release of the self-titled album “SOPHIE” by SOPHIE. It’s been three years since the tragic death of producer and songwriter SOPHIE, and the pop and electronic music scenes have not been the same since. The influence SOPHIE had over albums in the past decade was crucial and highlighted the reemerging hyper-pop and dance scene in popular culture today. She’s probably best known for her work as a producer with Charli XCX, and the two were an unstoppable force. However, that force died three years ago, and looking at a year filled with arguably great pop, including what many consider the best pop album this year — Charli XCX’s “BRAT” — there were big shoes to fill for this release.
Unfortunately, those expectations just did not reach any heights at all. This album is 67 minutes long and has almost no focus. Take the second track of the album, “RAWWWWWW,” as an example. The beat is degrading, and the vocal mixing is poor. Or, how about “Reason Why,” a song that, on paper, should work? But, it falls flat because of the Kim Petras feature, which is short and repetitive after the first two minutes of listening.
There were times before its release when many listeners assumed the album was only finished because money could be made, and they weren’t wrong. If you wanted to buy the vinyl for this album alone, it would set you back $40 in-store.
Even so, not everything is negative about this album, and there are some silver linings. The album picks up during its last quarter with songs like “My Forever” and “Love Me Off Earth.” But the question often remains: Is that saving anything? The answer is up for debate, and as a listener, you may love the sounds the album explores and may even want to have a conversation about them. That’s the great thing about music discourse, and it is through these discussions that SOPHIE’s impact on pop and electronic music lives on.
