Sophie Dorsten - “Mountain Song”
Although Sophie Dorsten defines herself as an indie/ pop/ alt Z singer, every single song she releases oozes of the wholesomeness and swagger of country music. Now, as a self-proclaimed part-time punk and random screamer, I have never really found much of a personal connection with the happy cousin of folk and often find it slightly annoying in the way that one might get peeved by a colleague who consistently thinks everything is a beautiful opportunity, even when you’re both getting fired. This is where Sophie Dorsten steps in. There is real, emotional pain in her vocal performance– pain that transcends the lyrics, something deeper, like the promise of the darkness that will come for us all. This is not the happy cousin, oh no, this is the angel of death– the quintessential harbinger of doom.
Recorded at RAK studios in London and produced by Adam Mills and Alex Dorsten (Sophie’s brother and co-composer), “Mountain Song” sounds clean and tight and the minimalist guitar leaves plenty of space for the vocals– a 1965 Gibson J200 guitar that Jimmy Page played on the song, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” I might add.
But no matter the magic dust sprinkled by the rock gods, this song is mainly about the vox, and what a vox innit? Sophie carries the song beautifully and well within range, telling a story of heartbreak and love lost. The tune feels like the last days of summer before a war, and with all the rock history associated with this song, the dude with the tambourine in the background might well be Liam Gallagher cheering her on.
“Mountain Song” releases on August 11, but you can pre-save it here. In the meantime, check out Sophie’s links and look up “Until June,” a personal fave.