Sophie May revisits sad-girl cliches on Worst Thoughts in the World

Her straightforward acoustic songs are pleasant enough, with lyrics mining the wry, confessional mode of mainstream western feminism. The EP kicks off, for instance, with the agony-aunt-esque admission: "I look at pictures of your ex-girlfriend on my phone / almost every night."

Female singer-songwriters tend to be pigeonholed into creative alliances with love stories and diatonic pleasantries: in this case, however, an unnecessary stereotype is unfortunately accurate. The songwriting behind four-chord introspective "Doppelganger," which opens the EP, is solid at best, fleshed out by maximalist production techniques which gradually muster a welcoming and glassy sound. It’s Sophie May’s storytelling that’s more convincing, detailing her obsession with her boyfriend’s ex, getting a little edgy with the flagellating quatrain: "thinkin’ of us when we’re in bed / you’re fucking me / when you pull my hair / it’s just like pulling hers I bet." "Killing You In My Sleep" (co-written by Spector’s Fred MacPherson) is equally inoffensive, relaying the narrator’s nighttime ruminations on her lover’s wellbeing. Close-mic-ed, her address succeeds in curating an intimate mode on-par with the bedroom setting of her TikTok content: you’re Sophie’s adolescent best friend or her first love, snoozing as she noodles away and treats you to a vague electric solo on her dad’s fender.

The cover of the folk standard "Wish I Was A Single Girl Again" contributes some welcome relief to the tired musings on the condition of postmodern girlfriendhood. On the other hand, shimmering reverb and mild vocal fry contribute to a polished pop sound, making the homage feel a little uncomprehending. As the following track "The Babysitter" opens, it’s clear that Sophie May’s talents are more suited to the adolescent musings that secured her TikTok stardom: her voice, after all, has a warm, textured quality well-suited to her reflections on immature past lovers, and the one she’s settled on who is, she informs us proudly, "a grown up … who knows what he’s doing." Congratulations!

The closing and titular track "Worst Thoughts In The World" showcases the strengths of Sophie May’s agreeable output. A dry commentary on intrusive thoughts, she taps into a Lena Dunham-esque strain of TMI feminism and comes out with some amusing quips as well as a genuinely tender evocation of the shocks of adulthood and urban anomie. The songwriting, assisted by Matt Maltese, is less predictable and offers some truly lovely moments, like where Sophie shifts into a high, plaintive register, tugging on the 7th, for the chorus.

This contribution to the catalogue of guitar songwriting isn't groundbreaking, but it's perfectly nice, offering brief moments of comfort and tension, particularly in the final track.