The debut EP from this Te Whanganui-a-Tara songwriter is affable with a sinister edge.
Photo: Olivia Melhop Photography
Listening to this Arrowtown-raised, Wellington-based singer-songwriter, I was impressed with her fully-formed aesthetic: not like a younger artist finding their sound, but one who's already found it.
Sofia Machray has been building to this for a while though - she was on Music 101’s Introducing feature three years ago, and in it, spoke about being in bands since primary school.
This EP clearly has its reference points, and isn’t shy about them, but isn’t slavish either. It mostly just sounds like her.
Machray’s vocal on that song ‘Foundation’ has aspects of the breathy delivery popularised by Lorde, but when it hits a busier section and she starts to really project, other more adventurous singers start springing to mind.
There's a slightly threatening edge to it on a song like ‘Crumbs’, when her almost-whisper is occasionally overwhelmed by the more forceful tone she keeps as backup.
The balance of affable songwriting with an unsettling edge continues on ‘Petals in the Rain’, which alludes to the EP’s thematic concerns. In press she’s spoken about refracting her songwriting through the flowers of the EP’s title, and this is always done thoughtfully - the petals in the rain are actually memories, and the song concerns the impact one moment can have on us in the long run.
‘Cuppa Tea’ begins in an admirably mundane place, as Machray sings about endless stirring her hot beverage, and the hazy instrumentation and waltz time signature matches the aimless feeling. Later on the timing changes, and she shows what she’s really capable of vocally when she bellows “I just wanna be”.
There’s a murky shoegaze vibe through a lot of the EP, which for me brought to mind other local acts like Womb and Wiri Donna. Sofia Machray has a bit more mainstream appeal perhaps, but sinking into the EP I was more impressed with how dark she’s willing to get - lyrically and musically.
As an introduction to a new musician it’s ideal, in that above anything else, it stays intriguing.
