Sophie May delivers exceptional debut album ‘Stars and Teeth’
The Londoner doesn’t miss a single beat on her delicate debut.
★★★★★
Photo: Sam Hiscox
You just had to be there in 2022. Sophie May dropped debut single With The Band, and a star was born. While things have changed drastically since then, one thing remains the same: Sophie’s still got her blonde streaks, and she’s still got one hell of a knack for writing a song.
That same year, Sophie’s debut EP, You Do Not Have To Be Good, gave us an insight into her world and showed a certain vulnerability you wouldn’t expect from a debut. The penultimate track, Lover Boy, which has since accumulated over 12.5 million streams, is Sophie falling out of love with her lover, singing “I don’t think we want each other, the way we want us to”, and, ultimately, knowing that, no matter what she changes about herself, there’s really no point in trying to salvage what’s left.
The following year, after being open about romance and all the intricacies surrounding it, Sophie began her path towards becoming a key voice for those suffering with OCD, releasing title track Worst Thoughts In The World from her second EP, singing candidly about obsessive thoughts, much like Tiny Dictator from her third EP, Deep Sea Creatures, which followed in 2024.
Before she’d even released a teaser of a track, or anyone knew her name, Sophie would consistently film herself at her parents’ old piano or in her house with her acoustic or electric guitar in hand, sharing originals and covers of Lana Del Rey and The Beatles, putting the hard work in to be heard.
Since that first video of her dog back in 2020, Sophie has risen exceptionally fast as one to watch, releasing three EPs and a debut album, and even boasts a credit under her belt for helping to compose ROSALÍA’s Magnolias alongside collaborator Matt Maltese.
After years of cutting herself open and letting her guts spill on the floor, Sophie is ready to do it all over again on her debut album, Stars and Teeth, baring everything and then some more on her boldest offering yet.
Album opener You’re Mine is deliciously Sophie, yielding those enchanting, lovelorn lyrics, with Sophie singing “the contract in my mind / Clearly states you’re mine” over gorgeous acoustic guitar.
For the most part, the album is a collection of anecdotes and metaphors on love, with singles Another Song for the End of the World, Greek Statue and Touch Me forming some of the strongest bones of the album, perfectly selected to represent the tone of the record. The first track is reminiscent of something you might find on an indie coming-of-age movie in the late noughties, clever lyrics strewn over delicate guitar and gentle percussion, to put Sophie’s vocals in the spotlight.
The singles follow one after the other, Greek Statue being the last of the four to be released, taking a slower approach, featuring Sophie yearning for someone she’ll never have, singing “they peaked carving you / Like some Greek, Greek Statue” over stripped-back chords.
Touch Me continues exactly where Greek Statue left off, but this time Sophie is happy to leave the past behind her, and simply has changed her stance on a past suitor, now only wanting one thing from them. She asks her lover to stop crying and start touching her because of her lack of control around them, and asks for one more time before they close the chapter forever. As ever, Sophie turns a situation so common into a beautiful, captivating soundtrack to a lost love.
On Real Life Angel, the Londoner turns her attention away from romance, a subject she has mastered putting pen to paper about, and sings candidly about someone in her life dealing with suicidal ideation, pleading throughout the three minutes to not go: “You were saying all kind of strange things / Like you were ready to see the pearly gates open”.
Devil’s Land feels like a pivotal turning point of the album, introducing pounding backing vocals that add depth to Sophie’s already fascinating vocals, before lead single Dog Body changes the pace of the album entirely, painting Sophie as a metaphorical dog, absurdly as it sounds. Weird, but it works and, if you knew Sophie, you’d understand. If you’re a girl in a dog body, you too might find this relatable. After penning No More Birthdays for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, it’s no surprise that Sophie can write about anything and step into anyone’s shoes.
The latter end of the album sees Sophie welcome in a more upbeat approach and yet manage to keep her signature sound, with My Kind of Freak bringing sweet harmonies together to create a song you’ll want to stick on repeat — scrap that, an entire album.
Sophie does gut-wrenching, heart-breaking yet somewhat positive songs effortlessly, reflecting on those whom she has cared for on Loved, reminiscing about memories with a lover who she knows could leave, but it’s okay — at least she loved. This feels like the singer at her most mature, knowing that she’s done all she possibly could, and to love without caring about the outcome is the best way to love.
Penultimate track If These Walls Could Talk They’d Cry sees Sophie bring the objects in her house to life. How do you tell your towels, your shoes or your toothbrush that the man they grew so used to is no longer going to be there? How do you tell your pots and pans he won’t be holding the handles anymore, or the hairclip that sits in your hair? Sophie gets metaphorical, and it’s something she does best, asking all the questions we’re all too scared to ask. How do you move on from someone when they’ve become part of your home?
Closing the album, Animal is like a lullaby, guitar strings plucked behind soft, solemn vocals that sit atop just Sophie and the acoustic guitar. Ending on an acoustic track for her debut album brings Sophie full circle, right back to her roots; sitting in front of her phone, guitar in hand and singing for anyone who would listen.
It’s not as if Sophie hasn’t already got a vast discography, with Half Songs (2023) and Half Songs 2 dropping last year, but, as her first full-length album, it’s a cohesive, deliberately delicate announcement to the world that she has arrived. And, my God, is she one hell of a songwriter. The song-writing partnership with Matt Maltese might be one of the best in modern music.
Stars and Teeth is out now.
