There aren’t many pop records that grab my attention, but when one does, I tend to savor it. I’ve really come to love the new record from Soda Blonde, and it just gets better with each listen. The album is called Dream Big and it released on September 8th.
Soda Blonde come to us from Dublin, Ireland. This is their second album, though they’ve released a couple EPs, as well. The band includes Faye O’Rourke, Adam O’Regan, Donagh Seaver O’Leary, and Dylan Lynch. You will also hear The Glas Quartet on string and brass arrangements.
The band plays a sophisticated and thoughtful brand of alternative pop. They often label it as “bedroom pop”, which I think is a good way of describing the authenticity and privacy that stands out in their style. The album is full of electronic accents, catchy choruses, a great rhythm section, and intimate vocals. There’s just something alluring in the way the band deftly balances vulnerability and confidence here.
Let me tell you what really makes me like this album: it’s the subtlety and nuance. Many pop records are bombastic and maybe even a little low on self-awareness, but Soda Blonde have a grit and sense of class that I find attractive. Yes, some of the songs are bouncy tunes with repetitive choruses and the like, and those songs are written well and performed with fervor. But some of the songs are earthy, deeply burning pieces with humanity and honesty running in their veins. So, while the nuance of the reserved melodies, understated keys, and whiskers of electronica all draw me into the music, it’s also the subtly different song structures, downtempo portions, and authentic lyrics that cement the deal for me.
Dream Big is a rich record. I’m partial to all eleven tracks, and I have favorites in both halves. I have noted that the second half is far more reserved than the first half, though. That’s probably why the singles are from the first half, such as the electronica-laced opener “Midnight Show” and the irresistibly catchy “Bad Machine”. In the first six tracks, we get some seriously addictive songs in addition to the singles, like “Boys”, a harmonious and elegant pop song, or the title track with a chorus that is deeply engraved on my brain. I think that one is close to my favorite on the album, especially in how it balances a great chorus with a sweet instrumental portion of burning synth and distance guitars. I can’t get enough.
The second half of the album has some more somber pieces that are nonetheless supremely enjoyable. Songs like “The Accident” and “Less Than Nothing” are basically acoustic ballads, yet Faye adds such zest to the vocals that they become truly special songs. I like “First Name” for how it uses layers of sound and strings to sound big, yet in a quiet fashion.
Two of my favorites occur in the second half: “Why Die for Danzig” and “Going Out”. The former is a track with strange lyrics, but it has meat in the way it hovers and persuades with a great central hook and sense of gravity. The latter is the seven-minute closer, and it has really been growing on me. It climaxes in a low-lit chorus now and then that is short but effective, while much of the tune is a floating, beautiful hall of shadows and determination.
Soda Blonde have my attention with Dream Big. I love the attention to detail and the excellency of the beats and bass grooves, and how they both work in tandem without drowning out the other. Faye delivers a vocal performance of raw nuance, and so the album takes a few spins to appreciate, possibly, but when it hits you, it really hits you. I’m looking forward to what they produce going forward.
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Find Soda Blonde online:
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The PROG Mind 
Their first album Small Talk is also AMAZING you should check it out if you haven’t already!!
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