Sometimes, Forever has been described by critics as "production focused".[1] Sophie Allison began working with Daniel Lopatin (known by his stage name Oneohtrix Point Never) on her third studio album in late 2020,[2] a few months after the release of her second album Color Theory.
Allison announced Sometimes, Forever on March 23, 2022, releasing the album's lead single "Shotgun" simultaneously. Allison proceeded to release three more singles — "Unholy Affliction", "Bones" and "Newdemo" in the lead-up to the album's release. In the run-up to the Sometimes, Forever's release, Allison sat down for interviews with outlets including Pitchfork[2] and Rolling Stone.[4] She also performed live on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show.[5]
Musical style
Sometimes, Forever has been described as "darker" and "more personal" than Soccer Mommy's previous album.[6] While retaining Allison's tradition of confessional lyricism, Sometimes, Forever, sees the singer-songwriter exploring new sonic landscapes, such as shoegaze[7] and industrial noise.[8]
Sometimes, Forever has a score of 84/100 on Metacritic based on 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim"; the highest score for any Soccer Mommy album to date.
Albumism critic Jeremy Levine gave the album a perfect score, saying that "it cements Soccer Mommy as one of the most exciting voices in indie pop."[20]Paste's Eric Bennett described it as Soccer Mommy's "most creative work to date",[21] while The Line of Best Fit critic Tom Williams described Sometimes, Forever as "an astounding artistic accomplishment that deserves to propel Allison to the very highest ranks of the indie world."[14] A minority of critics, however, offered more mixed reviews, with Slant Magazine's Thomas Bedenbaugh describing the album as "an ambitious but unmemorable experiment", lacking the "indelible" "lyrical themes and melodies" of her previous work.[22] Writing for PopMatters, John Amen gave the album 7/10 and remarked, "Absent an infectious melody and accompaniment that establishes rhythmic and/or ambient contrast, her voice tends to grow monotonous and disengaging. But when the aesthetic balances are in place, as they are for much of Sometimes, Forever, then Allison glows like a moon reflecting a dying sun, one of the substantial artists of her generation."[23]
