Soccer Mommy: the one-girl band beating indie-rock's boys at their own game

Soccer Mommy’s route to the indie-rock scene is a distinctively modern one. In 2015, the 20-year-old from Nashville, whose real name is Sophie Allison, released songs on online music distribution website, Bandcamp, where they went viral. As a result of the platform, posting under her Twitter name, she signed a record deal, left New York University (she is on a leave of absence, “but has no plans to go back”), and toured with the likes of Slowdive, Liz Phlair, and Frankie Cosmos. 

While spending her school years in the male-dominated punk scene – “pretty much every gig I went to was a band with four dudes,” she says – Allison bought a Tascam digital recorder and secretly started to produce her own music, expressing her struggles with identity, and feelings of self-deprecation. Clean, a collaboration with producer Gabe Wax (War on Drugs, Deerhunter, Beirut), saw her sound move from the bedroom to the studio. It was a poignant yet plainspoken nod to teenage life. 

The album's clean melodies, subtle rock tones and wispy vocals place Soccer Mommy within a new generation of female indie heavyweights – alongside Snail Mail, Vagabon and War on Women – who, just beneath the mainstream, are producing exceptionally crafted sounds and proving that guitar music has a place in the modern age.

Ahead of her forthcoming UK and European shows, The Telegraph caught up with the singer-songwriter, who came across as self-assured, composed and unruffled. 

Did you always think that you were able to start a band?

No, I thought that I wouldn't be able to make it because I'm a girl; but I think it was just a subconscious feeling. Pretty much every gig I went to was a band with four dudes. Occasionally, there would be one band with a woman in it, but it was very much dominated by males. It wasn't purposeful exclusion, but it didn't make me think "wow, I can do that too". 

In what way  have people treated you differently since your success?

“I have people saying creepy stuff to me all of the time, and there’s some people who used to like me, who now don’t. People also seem to have ideas about me that are not actually representative to who I am – through reading interviews, and my social media. It’s weird that people just assume things about me. I don’t know if there’s a way of handling it, but it’s not a healthy thing. It’s easy to say, “oh, just ignore it”; but it’s not as simple as that. Sadly, you can’t just pretend that you haven’t seen the creepy things that people have said about you. It’s something that gets in your brain.”

Would you mind sharing an example? 

“People talk about my appearance, or say that they’re in love with me. It’s not always just my image, though. People say things about my personality, which isn’t particularly true. People make assumptions about me. I’m just like “no, it’s not me”; I’m not a one-dimensional sad girl.”

Would you say that you’ve found the publicity quite difficult, then?

“Yeah, it’s not good for me. I try not to read stuff. I mean, I do, but I try to avoid looking.”

Do you worry about how you come across in the media? 

“I mostly worry about trying to get an honest version of myself across. The media is very much about wanting to portray you and wanting to have a story for you – which, of course, is totally fine – but this built persona can create a mask that you have to wear. It’s better to be real, and not try to fall into this persona, or the exact person who is writing the music. It’s good to try and stay humble and down to earth, despite media and social media.”

Social media is considered so important for branding now, though. 

“Yes, you need to have social media in today’s world. It’s how people get information about you, your music, and your shows – it’s how people discover you now.”

In that respect, social media has had a very positive impact on your career – since you were discovered via Bandcamp. 

“Definitely. Social media being used to discover new artists is great. There’s not a barrier to enter the industry. People can just post music and share it. And if it’s good enough, and people like it, it will grow.”

Do you speak to your fans on social media? 

“Sometimes. I used to a lot more than I do, but at a certain point it gets too tricky – you don’t know the interaction, and the situation. Obviously, it’s different at a show, but on social media you never know who’s going to be rude and who isn’t. You never know who’s going to make you feel uncomfortable. People think that they can say anything that they want via social media, because they don’t have to experience the awkwardness – so they do. And they more people following you, the more uncomfortable it can get. I can’t interact with fans as much as I did when I only had 50 people following me.” 

Do you think the fact that you’re a woman comes into this?

“Absolutely. There are definitely a lot fewer people who obsess over marrying a guy from a band. I mean, it’s not non-existent, but I think women probably get the bulk of it.”

Soccer Mommy plays The Great Escape in Brighton this weekend