The Sophs
The young Los Angeles band dared to dream big, sending out their demo to record labels without having played a single show beforehand. And, as if by miracle, their raw, effortless sound immediately caught the attention of the renowned Rough Trade Records. The Sophs released their debut album in mid-March, and this summer they’re hitting the road to introduce their instinctive, chaos-driven songs to as many people as possible. Budapest will be among the first stops, where you can catch the band live on July 9 at Turbina Kulturális Központ.
Schedule
“They came out of nowhere,” say Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee about the label’s newest signing, the six-piece Los Angeles band The Sophs. The group’s brutal honesty, blazing intrusive thoughts, and genre-spanning versatility immediately grabbed their attention.
Rough Trade Records was drawn to the band’s creativity, diversity, and “don’t expect me to act pretty” attitude, which could take The Sophs to virtually any stage. The lineup includes frontman Ethan Ramon, Sam Yuh (keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (electric guitar), Seth Smades (acoustic guitar), Devin Russ (drums), and Cole Bobbitt (bass). “It’s rare for a demo to make your heart race and send you on a mission to track down its creator. But that’s exactly what happened with Ethan Ramon,” explain Travis and Lee.
The Sophs’ strength lies in their ability to shift at any moment between pop-punk, funk, or even talk-singing: “I want to steal, plagiarize, and borrow,” says Ramon. “At the end of the day, the music is still going to sound incredible.” And he’s right: their debut album Goldstar, released on March 13, proves that The Sophs’ songs are explosively joyful, blending a touch of rock’n’roll spirit with killer songwriting instincts, a dose of punk rock chaos, and a hint of Western atmosphere. Witty, wild, and exciting.
Turbina Cultural Center
Turbina Cultural Center houses an ever-growing set of musical and art events in the heart of the 8th district.