Sophie Powers
Glitch: Lvl1 LP
Jump to...
Toronto-based artist Sophie Powers has released her latest album, Glitch: Lvl 1, a brilliant mix of raw emotions and energy. It’s highly addictive, yet does not come with a warning label. I’m o…, I’m o…, I’m o…, I’m obsessed.
Sophie Powers released the new album in mid-July 2024. This didn’t come as a surprise as it was, in a way, announced by three singles released in 2023. The first one, ‘Nosebleed’, was as early as April, more than a year ago.
A year may be a long period but there isn’t a better way to test music than time.
More Than One Glitch to Live and Experience
Glitches here, glitches there, there are glitches everywhere. And for everyone. The record’s title has been chosen well and if you think the first sentence of this paragraph is playful, it only reflects the album itself on a way to self-discovery.
The first glitch you experience when listening to it for the first time is the joyfulness coming with the sound. Exciting, amusing, and spreading the general good vibe this genre has naturally baked in.
Call the album’s genre whatever you want, alt-pop or pop-core, it’s a blend of pop-punk, post-punk, hyperpop, industrial music, electro, and so much more. It’s electro-pop-punk on steroids, for short.
You won’t find two songs sounding the same or similar – a result of another batch of hefty and healthy collaboration support from names such as Baby Tate to Ashley Sienna. The first round occurred on the EP, Red in Revenge (2022), which is more rock-oriented.
The speed and pace the album takes is not enigmatic at all, it represents the world pushing non-stop forward, not giving anyone space or time to fail; the way is only forward to experiencing more experiences, and never taking a step back. Not even when mental health becomes an issue.
The album is compact, sticking to a few central themes – mental health, society, relationships, and navigating life and the world as a young person (replace with an adult or mature human being if you don’t see yourself as a young person anymore. Age plays no role because, the world is complicated, glitchy, for everyone. The themes are universal.
Glitch: Lvl 1 is Both a Rebellion and Introspection
In eight songs and twenty minutes, we get a clear, complex, and relatable image of what the Powers’ generation has to cope with. The album rushes on, maybe to forget, forgive, or keep moving on for the sake of going forward.
The song titles express a current mood, or impressions, or resemble journal entries – all adding up to the reality of the fast-paced world that coexists.
The rebellious aspect of the album is well presented in ‘Blueprint’, a song about looking back at a past relationship and realising the blueprint has much better qualities than whoever came after. Resilience seems to be an important factor in the message.
Sophie Powers – ‘Blueprint’ (Official Music Video)
Unlike ‘Blueprint’, ‘Obsessed’ represents the other side of resilience, a completely uncontrollable pull toward a toxic person (‘you’re a walking toxic hazard / it’s all red flags’) an attraction that only highlights the complexity and intensity of feelings present in the lyrics.
Sophie Powers – ‘Obsessed’ (feat. Ashley Sienna) [Official Visualizer]
‘Better on Mute’, deals with the impact of the internet on the self and self-doubt. Why let anyone else put you down when you can do it yourself… ‘You don’t gotta tell me I’m trash / Better on mute, fuck you, I’ll do it myself / I don’t really need your help, I don’t really need your help / I’ll do it myself.’ Right?
A different experience is portrayed in ‘Nosebleed’, ‘a picture of urban hopelessness, striving for the hollow achievements of modern society,’ as you can read in the song’s review.
Sophie Powers – ‘Nosebleed’ (Official Music Video)
‘Bathroom Floor’ closes the album in the most vulnerable way an artist can. It’s a fun song, with a great tempo, and an amazing sound shift when the chorus crops up… and makes you realise it’s an intense introspection.
Sophie Powers – ‘Bathroom Floor’ (Official Music Video)
‘On the bathroom floor, and I can’t feel shit / I just wanna be alone, I don’t wanna deal with it,’ depicting Sophie’s experience of life with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and generalised anxiety disorder with panic attacks.
Each of the songs handles different glitches, so, what if, the level 1 glitch is…
Final Thoughts on Glitch: Lvl 1
The songs are catchy, the album full of anthems, and it’s incredibly easy to fall for it during the first listen. This is easily one of the best albums of the year. It speaks to me, it speaks to the Phonotonal crew.
If you want to watch the artist’s growth as a musician, artist, and human, here’s a way you can safely take and enjoy.
Sophie Powers Articles
Written by Vinklarek on
