Soccer Mommy and Squirrel Flower at The Mill
by Georgia Sampson
Photos by Hayley Anderson
Across tables of conversation and huddled groups, the stage in the back room of The Mill sits decorated with guitars, stands, and a drum kit in the back. It’s on this stage that two twenty-something women led their bands and the crowd in an exploration of what it means to grow and learn, leading the group to realize that every song could be seen as a love letter, a breakup anthem and/or a lullaby.
Squirrel Flower wandered onto the stage unassumingly in her casual sweatpants and cowboy boots combination. Her eyes caught the audience's attention, the glitter decorating her lids and the blue color of her iris peeking through her curly bangs. When she grabbed her guitar and strummed her first song, she stood alone– letting her isolation and sweet voice speak for itself. Songs like “Midwestern Clay” pushed her voice from octave to octave and belt to belt as she contemplated her useless acceptance of her environment.
Later, she strummed with her band: Jameson Williams on bass and Jacob Getzoff on drums, to her digging rock song, “Not Your Prey,” and her contemplative ballad, “Daylight Savings.” These songs could have brought tears if not broken up by the offerings of Airheads and dinosaur temporary tattoos, reminding the crowd of a youthful relief to the worry that she is singing about.
As Squirrel Flower and her band exited into the crowd– finding their place by the back room, Soccer Mommy moved onstage. Sophie Alison, aka Soccer Mommy, tuned deep purple guitar highlighting a neck that read “Gemini Bitch” in curly letters. The aesthetic never wavered from witchy: mixing her black dress, intense purple eye make up, and her opal Filas into the glamour of her set. Soccer Mommy started the concert with her band -- Julian Powell on guitar, Graham Gets on bass, Roland Daws on drums, and Roderigo Avendano on keys. The group played favorites like “Last Girl” and “Try” before leading the crowd into bopping pleasers.
“This song is about being mad at yourself,” Alison says, “for being pathetic.”
The crowd laughs and cheers while nodding, no one can deny the relatability. “Your Dog,” a breakup melody, curses the situation with every chorus and verse. While the listener would like to blame the significant other or the “you,” Soccer Mommy reminds everyone that there is no escaping the self.
Soccer Mommy continued the night with “Cool,” another reminder that you can never escape the feeling of falling flat to someone else, and “Lucy,” a new song that she released the following day about being seduced by the devil. However, the song that totally pulled the crowd in came later. After her band left her as a solo, Alison performed “Still Clean,” an honest tune about fake love.
“Only what you wanted for a little while,” the crowd sang along with Soccer Mommy. The moment, so pure and charged with vulnerability, entranced the audience who watched swaying and satisfied. As she left the stage, Soccer Mommy left the crowd with the feeling that, no matter how old you are, you will always have time to learn and grow. Her songs served everyone in the venue with proof and comfort that it is never too late to bloom.