Sophs - Art as a compass

Shortly before the release of their debut “Goldstar”, we caught up with Sophs, Rough Trade's new Los Angeles proteges, for a chat. On the video call were Ethan Ramon (vocals), Sam Yuh (keyboards), Cole Bobbitt (bass) and Seth Smades (acoustic guitar); as expected, it's almost always Ethan who answers the questions, being the band's main songwriter (and mastermind); he and Cole are clearly in the mood for jokes, between eccentric influences and unlikely collaborations, while Seth and Sam are much shyer and quieter.

Hi guys, how are you and how are preparations going for the release of "Goldstar"?

Ethan: It's all going really well. I feel really lucky to have the chance to open for Shame. And I think that's really helping the process of putting the album together. It's like performing in front of a ton of new people every night. So we're doing the tour with Shame, and then we'll take some time off to focus on the digital side of things and the website.

Cole: Yeah, it's going great. We love the guys in Shame and we're really happy to be on tour with them. And we can't wait for the album to come out.

Among the themes you tackle on the record, a lot revolves around the need and the search for personal validation, spilling over into degenerative attitudes; there are tracks that are self-explanatory from their titles alone, I'm thinking for instance of "A Sympathetic Person" and "They Told Me Jump, I Said How High". Can you tell me about that?

E: Yeah, I think the leit-motif of the album, the whole mantra, is the search for a kind of intangible validation, a sort of external validation. And I think the "gold star" represents exactly that. And that's what we're doing. It's kind of a testament to a part of ourselves that we can never fully satisfy, but that we always blame the world for. We keep saying: "If only the world would give me my gold star, I'd finally be complete." But in the end, we're never going to be complete anyway. I think that's exactly what we're trying to say with the album. We're writing the whole record from the point of view of a narrator who finds it easier to point the finger at others rather than admit to and take responsibility for himself.

C: It's a battle you can't win.

E: Yeah, one battle after another.

C: Exactly.

E: So yeah, I think the whole album revolves around that, when it comes to the physical versus the metaphysical, and the gold star versus admitting that maybe you have to work on yourself.

C: Well said.

You caught the attention of Rough Trade Records founders Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee before you'd even played a show, by sending them demos. How's that going?

E: Apparently it's gone pretty well so far. I mean, they're great business partners. And not only do they have an incredible nose for business, but they're also true music lovers. And getting to work with people who apparently understand music on such a deep level, I think that's a rare and almost sacred opportunity.

C: Well said.

For you, writing and composing are like a form of pop art, and you like to range across various musical genres - I noticed that, for instance, in "Sweetiepie", where there are blues and country elements, in the flamenco influences of the title track, or in the unexpected electronic intro of "Sweat". Was there anything in particular you were listening to that inspired you while working on your debut?

E: I think we listened to a huge variety of music.

C: Tom Waits.

E: Yes, a lot of Tom Waits. Actually, I have a fairly sizeable collection of Russian and Slavic music, mostly from the 20th century, that I've been listening to.

C: I was thinking about that too.

E: And that, I think, particularly influenced certain moments on the album, like "The Dog Dies In The End" and the ending of "Blitzed Again", where they explored a harmonic minor scale. So yes, we listened to a lot of Tom Waits and a lot of Slavic music. At the same time, we also listened to a lot of bands like Bright Eyes and similar acts. So I think the influences are pretty varied.

One of the lyrics that struck me the most was on "Death In The Family" - can you tell me how that song came about?

E: Yes, I think it was a kind of catharsis. I was really trying to make peace with that part of me that suffered from intense paranoia and struggled to accept being perceived. I really wanted to turn a kind of "journalistic" gaze inward and understand why I felt that way, and why I'd panic in moments when I did. And I think the answer always came back to a sort of intangible parliament of voices I kept repeating to myself, you know, being terrified of being judged and changing my behavior as a result. And I really wanted to understand why I felt that way and how it affected my actions, my thoughts, my behavior, and the death in the family. I think it's the result of really turning a critical eye inward, to understand why I was paranoid and get to the darkest corners of it all. And to write about it.

C: Well said.

Your album cover struck me - it immediately reminded me of a Magritte piece called "Not To Be Reproduced". Does it have a particular meaning in the context of the album, and how did you choose it?

E: Yes, it's literally a reproduction of "Not To Be Reproduced". And I find it quite fitting for the album and its themes, because you yourself use the term pop art to describe the album and its themes, and the disparity between genres - it seems to me it addresses that in a very appropriate way, but also a very ironic one. And I think the album cover, as it is, is perfect. It's a reproduction of "Not To Be Reproduced". It's about as explicit as you can get when it comes to the bastardization of classic art, the pop art element of the record, and the way it explores genres appropriately, but with irony.

Which song did you enjoy working on the most, and why?

E: I think that, at least in my case, I really enjoyed working on "A Sympathetic Person", because it featured a lot of analog instruments.

C: Right.

E: We were all at Seth's place, and we actually used the sound of opening and closing the gate to his apartment building as percussion on that track.

Sam: Personally, I loved working on "They Told Me Jump, I Said How High", because every single instrument on that track was recorded in a single take. Like the bass and guitar - everything was exactly as it was conceived, recorded DIY-style and folded into the system, and it was fantastic. And then all the lyrics Ethan added were a total surprise to us. We had no idea what he was going to say, and as soon as he said them we thought, "This is amazing. It's hilarious, and we're thrilled it made it onto the track."

Who are the figures who inspired you most as musicians?

Ethan: Daffy Duck.

C: [laughs] Me too... I really like Tom Waits and Frank Sinatra. I love Frank Sinatra. What about you, Ethan?

E: I already said Daffy Duck.

C: There was no need to be so argumentative. Don't be argumentative. And you, Sam? And don't say anything weird.

Sam: I like Porter Robinson.

E: Oh, I love that answer, man.

Seth: I like Bruce Springsteen.

C: What?!

Seth: Bruce Springsteen, Cole.

C: I mean, okay, you know what I think of him.

Seth: I know, that's why I said it.

E: I also like Wile E. Coyote. I saw a video recently. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen, but I saw him running toward the sunset and it scared me a lot because he was heading straight for it at full speed.

C: Martina, who do you like? Who's your favorite musician?

Hayley Williams from Paramore!

Everyone: Oh yeah! She's the best.

Is there any artist or band you'd like to collaborate with in the future?

C: Frank Sinatra.

E: Actually, I talked to him just last weekend.

C: What?! [laughs]

E: Turns out you can talk to him if you drink enough. Once I had four martinis and felt like a member of the Rat Pack.

C: I know, I was there. I had to bring you home.

E: As for artists we'd like to collaborate with, I think we'd collaborate with anyone who wants us. As a band, we're short on friends. Nobody wants to be our friend, so if anyone did, we'd probably collaborate with them.

C: Honestly, yeah. At this point I'd be friends with anyone.

E: Yeah, same.

On the subject of something that can be traced back to forms of validation: what does it mean to you to be artists in the reality we're living in right now?

E: I think especially in America and in Los Angeles, given who we are, we're obviously deeply proud of the community we have. This community is full of immigrants. It's full of people of every creed. But at the same time, conversely, we're incredibly ashamed of our administration, of its mismanagement and of the cruelty and stupidity behind every single decision. It's a country that's embarrassing to live in and embarrassing to talk about, in today's world. But I think that, regardless of that, for a modern artist, it's not so much about focusing on your own art, because I find that's a pretentious way of avoiding real work. It's more about being human, and being human is something I consider inherently political. I think being human isn't mutually exclusive with being an artist. You have to know how to move through the world as a human being, using art as a tool, rather than building yourself a new identity as an artist. And I think that if you move through the world as a human being, using art as a tool, instead of thinking of yourself as an artist, it's much easier to create art and to tap into a kind of collective consciousness of the world around us. And I think that's ultimately what we write about: tapping into that collective consciousness.

C: I just want to say that I feel really lucky and grateful to be an artist. It makes my life easier, because I have an artistic outlet with myself and my friends. So I feel lucky and truly grateful.

All: Yes, we love Italy! Bye, have a great day!

(March 22, 2026)

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