SOPHIE Transcends Death on Posthumous Album

Three years after her tragic death, electronic artist SOPHIE released a final goodbye to fans.

A concoction of sugary chords and dark synth characterizes SOPHIE’s self-titled final album, released posthumously Sept. 25. 

Musician and producer Sophie Xeon, known mononymously as SOPHIE, pioneered the hyperpop genre through the use of heavily processed sounds and distorted vocal manipulation. Metallic clinks and industrial whirring work as an auditory signature. Following the artist’s untimely death in 2021, a hole was left in the music industry.

SOPHIE’s brother, producer Benny Long, announced in June a selection of the musician’s unreleased work would be curated into a final album, along with vocals from friends and collaborators. The album is divided into four distinct segments with a relatively streamlined sound.

A desolate soundscape of howling echoes and ambient white noise forges an uncanny start to the album’s first segment in “Intro (The Full Horror).”

“RAWWWWWW” fits in awkwardly between two tracks brimming with eccentric noise. Featuring R&B artist Jozzy, the track puts a spin on the standard hip-hop instrumental by implementing sonorous bass and echoing vocals.

“Plunging Asymptote” features artist Juliana Huxtable, who repeats the titular phrase over droning synth and jarring snare, fusing with mechanical spurs of noise. The song was originally released on Trip Records’ compilation album “Locus Error” in 2018 under the artist name “Analemma,” a duo composed of SOPHIE and Huxtable. 

An infatuation with futurism had a notable influence on SOPHIE’s work, with “The Dome’s Protection” being a final nod to the artist’s appreciation of the times ahead. Atmospheric ambience flows together with time-warping spoken-word from DJ Nina Kraviz.

“The world to know is vanished from your hand / Human consciousness flows like a stream / Consciousness is a very rare and precious thing,” Kraviz says.

“Reason Why” marks the beginning of the album’s second segment. A spacey dance-pop instrumental accompanies pitched-up vocals by pop singer Kim Petras and R&B duo BC Kingdom.

“In your mind, in your eye / Take a little look inside / What’s your life, in your eyes / And I know the reason why,” Petras sings.

“Live In My Truth” and “Why Lies” both feature BC Kingdom and electro-pop artist LIZ, following a similar formula to the previous track. High pitched vocals accentuate glossy, effervescent hyperpop instrumentals, blending into a cohesive sound familiar to SOPHIE.

Dizzying echoes and candy-coated clicks highlight the album’s experimental production on “Do You Wanna Be Alive,” featuring performance artist Signe Pierce under the name BIG SISTER. The lyrics bleed together with robotic squeaks in a gratifying entanglement of ultramodern bliss.

“Product fucking vortex of my deviant mythology / An executive export of my translucent infinity,” Pierce sings.

“Elegance” is a slow-burn instrumental culminating in vigorous waves that erupt into a distorted climax — in the last minute a slower, exuberant sound peeks through, shedding the song’s overstimulating characteristics.

“Berlin Nightmare” uses electronic sounds similar to “Elegance” with added rubbery textures and muted squeaks. The track features SOPHIE’s former partner, Evita Manji.

“Gallop,” also featuring Manji, includes cartoony clicks over an electronic orchestration of motorized clamor.

Glitching, muffled, trance-inducing music sounds as if it’s echoing through a vacant building on “One More Time.” The song reaches its peak two minutes in, before a mechanical voice bellows the titular words repeatedly. The track mutates into an eerie electronic beat before consummating in a sullen spiral of degraded chords.

“Exhilarate” describes having a strong sense of perseverance to the point of losing control. The track features R&B artist and frequent collaborator Bibi Bourelly. Industrial sounds and hand drums compliment Bourelly’s vibrant vocals. 

“I be goin’ way too fast for myself, I / Got my foot on the gas, got my foot on the gas / And I won’t stop for no one, I won’t stop for no one else,” Bourelly sings.

“Always and Forever” features hyperpop artist Hannah Diamond, SOPHIE’s close friend and early collaborator. the song was written by the pair about their friendship according to an Instagram post by Diamond. The instrumental is more subdued, but still contains synthesized textures akin to popping bubbles. 

“For always and forever / Forever and for always we’ll be shining together / And as the years go by you’ll still be by my side,” Diamond sings.

On “My Forever,” electro-pop musician Cecile Believe, a longtime collaborator of SOPHIE, illustrates an unbreakable relationship. Airy synths float around Believe’s velvety vocals, creating a cosmic echo chamber.

“I can almost feel you again next to me, beautiful / How I long to be forever,” Believe sings.

“Love Me Off Earth” is SOPHIE’s final love letter to the world. An inconstant instrumentation teleports from different genres while vocals by techno artist Doss comment on defying the laws of time. Dance-pop fluxes to transient rhythms floating somewhere in space, ending in a texture-heavy soirée of glitching noise.

“SOPHIE” is full of love. Sounds SOPHIE’s career are present and everlasting. Carefully curated to preserve SOPHIE’s legacy, the album succeeds in telling the artist’s story, and ultimately finishing it.

Listen to “SOPHIE” on all major streaming platforms.