There are ways to deal with a break-up. Getting slaughtered with your mates until you fall over and have to crawl miles home on your hands and knees is a good remedy for a broken heart. Some kind of stalking seems to be a fairly popular choice, but really isn’t an option for the heartbroken in today’s world of go, go, go! Who really has the time? Those who are equipped with the right skills (and invariably an acoustic guitar) will have a go at writing a song, the finest example of which is of course Jilted John. The most amusing of which is by Phil Collins, if only because there is a warming pleasure that comes when you think of Collins in any kind of pain.Some will be so wracked with unwanted emotion that they’ll write a whole album of misery and sadness. Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks is the most obvious example in this category, but that’s mainly because it’s brilliant. All those other records written in the wake of love’s failure have been forgotten or buried because frankly, who wants to wallow in other people’s misery ”“ even if it does relate to you in some way? More often than not though, such outpourings of grief are hard to connect with because they relate so specifically to one person and their failed relationship.Robin Proper-Sheppard, the man who is Sophia, has really stepped up to the plate with There Are No Goodbyes, an album that is swimming in sadness, emotion and misfortune. This is an album dedicated to the loss of love and the disintegration of relationships and it is stunning. There are times during the course of listening to this record that you want to tear it from the CD player and hide it away because it is so raw. Hurt just drips from every lyric and Proper-Sheppard’s vocals are wrought with the kind of despondency that can only come in the wake of bitter disappointment.The clear standout track is 'There Are No Goodbyes', a slowly building ethereal ballad that has a chorus that you can’t help but be enveloped by. The cynic might suggest that this is the kind of thing that got Coldplay film star wives and widespread recognition, but they'd be wrong. Spend a little time with this gem of a song and you’ll realise that there is a difference, and that difference is sincerity. The rest of the album doesn’t hold the same kind of commercial appeal; it’s far too dark and gloomy for that. If the words “I thought you were a fighter, but in the end I guess you lost your faith in me. I don’t blame you for leaving” resonate with you in the slightest then this record could be the sonic equivalent of that drunken night out with your mates. Every song on this record is perfectly formed, from deft orchestral touches to the different range of emotions Proper-Shepherd plugs you into. Whether this album works for you depends on whether or not you have a heart, not necessarily whether it’s ever been broken. Truth be told, this album can be something of a struggle to listen to, but if you’re in the right mood (and I empathise with you if that’s the place you’re in right now) then why not do as Proper-Shepherd suggests on 'A Last Dance (To Sad Eyes)': “drink more wine, turn the music up to drown out the truth for a while.” Then call your mates, they’ll pick you up when you’re down. 82%Sophia on Myspace