Following SOPHIE’s tragic death in 2021, it seems as though her legacy as both a groundbreaking producer and songwriter, and as a queer icon, is assured . The futuristic alien soundscapes and hyperpop melodies she pioneered are there to be found everywhere from Berlin nightclubs to the top of the singles charts; one time collaborators Charli XCX and Kim Petras have made the leap from alternative icons to mainstream stadium-fillers. Visit any queer club night in the UK and you are guaranteed to hear at least several SOPHIE-produced tracks, and many more undoubtedly directly influenced by her.
The news of a new official album by SOPHIE then, three years after her death, came as something of a surprise to many fans. While there was an understanding that there was a trove of unreleased material, SOPHIE is an unexpected addition, and indeed closure, to SOPHIE’s musical canon. Close to completion before her passing, SOPHIE has been carefully finalised by a team of long-time collaborators led by SOPHIE’s brother and long-time studio manager Benny Long.
As with the most profound posthumous album releases, it seems that this record has been a lovingly and carefully managed project; emotional, creative, and complex. — — For the SOPHIE fan, a new album of material, featuring over an hour’s worth of music and 16 tracks, is cause for celebration. Objectively, you do stop to consider just how close this final record would have been to the one SOPHIE would have seen to completio.