Emily Sophia – Alive (2022)
For many people, an on and off relationship can seem more frustrating than anything else. While there is a chance for serious frustration, the feeling you get when together can eclipse this. The emotions that make these relationships feel worthwhile have been picked up by Emily Sophia and turned into the pop-rock tones of ‘Alive’.
Through the single, Sophia considers the trouble and hardships you face with this type of relationship, while contrasting it with the passionate energy that comes when you are together. Drawing on the sonic influence of early 2000’s pop-rock, Sophia adds her own style to the mix. After starting her performing career at age 7 with piano lessons, she has been in musicals and is studying at AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts.
‘Alive’ strums into your ears with an acoustic guitar that has a light bop to its movement. The stripped-back feeling to the opening of the melody is wonderful as it leads you into the soft rock tones of the electric guitar. When the second guitar makes its appearance, it sweeps through the soundscape like a chilly breeze on a warm day. The sweep of instrumentation drops for the second verse, with a deep vibration taking over the lower levels of the melody. A toe-tapping drum slides in under the deep bass, bringing a new feeling to the soundscape. The easy flows sway with each other to bring the tidal movement of the relationship in the lyrics to life.
Against the initial acoustic guitar line, Sophia’s vocals enter with a tentative hope. Through the first verse, she fills the single with a tender wish for things to work out when she comes back to the relationship. The chorus brings the frustration of an on and off relationship to life, only to temper it with the bliss she feels when things go well. Her performance is packed with the push and pull of these relationships, while letting us all know why people find them worthwhile. It is a really wonderful look into feelings that cause relationships to end, only to start again. As the single progresses, Sophia’s vocals gain power as she lays everything on the line with a lovely emotive tug.
Emily Sophia brings the tidal movement of on and off relationships to the soundscape of ‘Alive’ with an emotional infusion through her vocals. The melody has a stripped-back feeling in the opening that moves into a sweep of instrumentation. Her vocals have a tentative hope at first, before bringing the conflicting emotions felt in these relationships.
Find out more about Emily Sophia on her Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
