Sophie Jamieson will follow up her promising duo of 2020 EPs with her debut album Choosing, arriving on December 2 through Bella Union. The first song to be shared from the record is “Sink”, with the songwriter revealing:
“This song began as a love letter to alcohol, written from the cusp of falling into addiction. I had begun to trust this tool but I could feel it turning on me, like a bad friend. I knew I was close to losing control over it, and realised that I had to choose whether to fall in or not. This song exists at the brink of choice: whether to abandon yourself, or whether to make the colossal effort to rescue yourself.”
“Sink” is a colossally affecting track thanks to Jamieson’s pure honesty of her problem and the skeletal but precise arrangement that supports it. It begins with her staring down a bottle of whisky, knowing it’s a bad idea but almost powerless to resist another day drunk on the beach. Her words take the form of a dialogue between herself and the bottle, and she paints vivid images of a body and mind in thrall to the substance; “you’ve been so good to me / my coat, my gown, my duck-feather down / I just need you to rock me to sleep.” Her words are sung over simple piano chords and drums, while there is a repetitive plinking melody throughout that perfectly captures the character of the alcohol; playful and alluring at first, ultimately sliding towards a coldness and blurriness. It’s deadly effective.
She’s also shared a video for “Sink”, saying: “The video, like the song, approaches the edge – the tantalising mystery and comfort of it, the openness of possibility and also the quiet knowledge of the dead end. The shoreline is that edge: beautiful, eerie, infinite, and empty.”
Watch the video for “Sink” below or find it on streaming platforms.
Sophie Jamieson’s debut album Choosing will be out on December 2 through Bella Union (pre-order/save). You can find her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
She’s got these tour dates ahead:
17/8: Eat Your Own Ears Recommends @ Shacklewell Arms, London
20/8: Green Man Festival
24/8: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds w/ Ezra Furman
25/8: Cyprus Avenue, Cork w/ Willy Mason
26/8: Roisin Dubh, Galway w/ Willy Mason
27/8: Dolans Warehouse, Limerick w/ Willy Mason
28/8: Workmans Club, Dublin w/ Willy Mason
29/8: Bangor Castle Walled Garden, Bangor w/ Willy Mason
31/8: Brewery Arts, Kendal w/ Willy Mason
1/9: The District, Liverpool w/ Willy Mason
2/9: End Of The Road Festival
6/9: Glee Club, Birmingham w/ Willy Mason
7/9: The Horn, St Albans w/ Willy Mason
8/9: St Pancras Old Church, London w/ Jana Horn
9/9: The Goods Shed, Stroud w/ Willy Mason
10/9: Brighton & Hove Folk Festival, Brighton
11/9: Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff w/ Willy Mason
13/9: The Exchange, Bristol w/ Willy Mason
14/9: The Joiners, Southampton w/ Willy Mason
15/9: Chalk, Brighton w/ Willy Mason
