Soccer Mommy Is In Bloom
Article by Ciara Rose Belfiore, photos by Adi Cohen
Sarah Beth Tomberlin, known simply by her stage name Tomberlin, opened the show. Tomberlin delivers reflective indie folk consisting of acoustic guitar and transcendent vocals. After a few acoustic songs, she’s joined by her cellist. The cello adds depth to Tomberlin’s dreamy folk, accentuating her high notes. In addition to songs from her own discography, Tomberlin also covered Natural Light by Owen Ashworth, a highlight of her set. Ashworth is best known for his work in Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Advance Base. Though originally from California, he is now Chicago-based, which Tomberlin cited as one of her reasons for the cover. Tomberlin has an endearing stage presence, communicating with her fans and answering questions with humor and sincerity. Offering anecdotes about songs and the reasoning behind her Buffy the Vampire Slayer-inspired merch. Her stage presence also reflects her music, teeming with a worldly honesty. She finished with a fan favorite, Wasted, from her 2020 EP Projections. Similarly to Soccer Mommy, Tomberlin music feels like a warm summer day.
There are flowers everywhere. In various pots and planters, they’re even encircling the projection screen hanging over the stage. Though outside Chicago is in the throes of Winter, inside Spring has sprung. This is the backdrop for Sophie Allison’s second night at Thalia Hall. Allison, otherwise known as Soccer Mommy, is well-known in the indie scene for her grunge-influenced pop. She opened her second night at Thalia Hall with “Abigail”, a song from her latest album, Evergreen, which was released in October of 2024. Abigail is inspired by a character from the video game Stardew Valley, a favorite of Allison’s. In addition to playing more songs from Evergreen like “Driver” and its namesake “Evergreen”, she also played other songs from her expansive discography like “circle the drain” from her 2020 album color theory. Throughout her set, pastel projections and swirling colors cover the screen behind her. Allison finished her set with a fan favorite, “Your Dog”, from her 2018 album Clean, a song both about the anger and relief of leaving an unhealthy relationship. Throughout her set Allison inspires both a quiet reverence and visible joy. Fans sing along to their favorite songs, dance, and once she takes her leave, scream and aplaud for an encore. Which they get in the form of two additional songs. As Allison and her bandmates strum their final notes, the audience is left with the visual once again of a garden of flowers, and the hint of the spring that is yet to come.