A powerful new album, Evolution: Sophie Seng Live with Strings displays the enthralling songwriting of Sophie Seng. The performance comes via a sold-out performance at Austin’s Tiger Den, where Seng performed seven tracks, reworked to feature a string trio. The gorgeous strings are a seamless accompaniment to Seng’s intimate, emotion-filled folk expanses, reminding aesthetically of Weyes Blood’s dynamic range. Seng, who has a formal background in jazz saxophone and classical piano, moved to Austin in 2021 and has drawn ample acclaim for her riveting songcraft and knack for quality live performance — on full display here.
Opening the performance, “Moon” tugs at the heart right away with its heartrending, somber strings. Serene acoustics accompany Seng’s ascending vocals, marveling “I think I had an epiphany / I think I finally know,” into the resonating “howl to the moon,” sense of catharsis. The soaring vocals send chills here alongside the chilly acoustics and melancholic strings. The ensuing “Evolution” continues the sense of somber reflection and cloud-swirling ominousness: “Why do I suffer when everything’s going all right?” Seng lets out, “searching for that sunrise and travelling through the night,” in conveyances of trying to find brightness. The two tracks waste no time in showcasing a sound that embraces vulnerable emotions and personal soul-searching.
An especially memorable track and performances comes via “Marionette,” where mellow keys and eerie strings bolster a vocal drive to “keep dancing, my Marionette.” A palpable yearning for change and a “break in routine,” comes alongside an intensifying vocal rise, celebrating autonomy and the need to expand beyond the dull routine of a doll or marionette in place — capable of being cut by a separate puppeteer. Evolution: Sophie Seng Live with Strings is an emotively impactful, beautifully performed success from Sophie Seng.
Also featuring on the album are Nathan Puckett on guitar, Tony Rogers on bass, Leigh Wallenhaupt on violin, and Haley Dietz on viola.
Seng’s next show is on May 30th at Captain Quack’s Soundspace, in Austin, TX.
—
“Evolution – Live” is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Folk.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
