How Soccer Mommy's 'Color Theory' Highlighted the Pandemic Blues Feeling in 2020

Even with rave reviews from Soccer Mommy's recent 2022 release Sometimes, Forever, there's no way this indie band's 2020 release Color Theory will ever be topped. This album showed up just a couple of weeks before the pandemic, and for many was an emotionally cathartic entry into dark times. The conceptual layout of Color Theory helps elevate an already incredible batch of deep, well-written tunes, using three colors to the themes of each part of the album.

The first four songs track perfectly with the typical associations of the color 'blue' (sadness, depression, loneliness), and features the standout single 'Circle The Drain,' the undeniable universal highlight of the whole album.

The centerpiece of the next three tracks, called 'Yellow Is the Color of Her Eyes,' shows songwriter Sophie Allison's personal connection to the whole affair. Her mother has suffered from a terminal illness for years, and in this segment, she highlights this color's connection to mental and physical illness.

The final three songs are the bleakest yet, addressing the helplessness surrounding her mother's illness, as well as the devil. The song 'Lucy,' named of course after Lucifer, was a live staple on the tour before the album's release.

With ten tracks, no filler, and a strong yet subjective concept for the record, Color Theory will forever remain a hard one to improve upon in the future. Amazingly, Sometimes, Forever ranks right up there with Color Theory, since Allison reinvented the Soccer Mommy sound a bit to craft the new album. Still, for an honest and clear portrait of the epic Soccer Mommy sound, you can look no further than Color Theory. 

Rating: 8/10

★★★★★★★★☆☆