"Abigail" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy. The song was released on October 22, 2024, through Loma Vista Recordings, as the fourth single from her fourth studio album Evergreen. The song is a serenade to Abigail, a non-playable villager in the farming video game Stardew Valley. Soccer Mommy's Sophia Allison wrote the song as a writing exercise during a relatively fallow period. The song was produced by Ben H. Allen III and recorded at his Atlanta studio.
Background
The song is a serenade to Abigail, a purple-haired[2]non-playable villager in the video game Stardew Valley. The song directly references several aspects of the character's hobbies—hanging out in a graveyard, her propensity for chocolate cake[3]—as Allison begs for her hand in marriage. Allison had been working on her fourth album, Evergreen, and had hit a wall and began to struggle with writer's block. Though not an avid gamer, Allison was fond of Stardew Valley in particular, having even streamed it online in the past.[4] Abigail was her favorite character in the game to marry, and she began writing the song as an ode to her as part of a writing exercise.[5] Upon conclusion, she enjoyed the love song so much that she decided to include it on Evergreen, as she felt it fit sonically and thematically with its style.[6] The uptempo[7] song opens with an arresting snare roll and proceeds across dreamy electric keys.[8]
The song's music video depicts Soccer Mommy in the game itself, marrying Abigail in the game's retro pixel style.[3][9] The clip was directed by Leonel Montero.
Reception
Danielle Chelosky at Stereogum called it a "sweeping ballad",[10] Hanif Abdurraqib, writing in the New Yorker, complimented its carefree tone in comparison to the visceral melancholy that runs through Evergreen.[8] Matthew Pywell in DIY praised its fantastical and imaginative feel, especially on Evergreen: "It feels completely standalone, as suddenly we're catapulted into a technicolour world which wouldn't have looked out of place on 2020's Color Theory."[11] Eric Bennett of Paste viewed it as "an immediate highlight. [...] it's both a soaring indie-rock jam and a charming nod to something that brings Allison comfort amid life's harder moments."[1]