Sonja Sofya

"Patterns We Know" Now Available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and iTunes

“Patterns We Know”, Sonja Sofya’s first full-length endeavor, contains elements of rock, classical, pop, and folk, all grounded in solid songwriting and excellent musicianship, thanks to performances by guitarist/producer Ross Bellenoit (Birdie Busch, Muscle Tough), bassist Jonathan Colman (Ben Arnold), and drummers Matt Scarano (Time For Three) and Jonas Oesterle (Purples). The album is, by turns, extroverted and introspective; the opener, “I Want”, is a guitar-driven romp, solidly upbeat even as lyrics like “face down, keep breathing, even though it hurts” hint at something sinister. The unabashedly dark and crunchy “Devil Dancing” pulses with a horn arrangement reminiscent of St. Vincent, while “Faith” embraces a minimalist, post-rock aesthetic, as layers of fuzz and reverb cascade to a heavy climax. “Small Satellite” showcases Sonja Sofya’s bonafides as a singer/songwriter in a performance that seems at once both intimate and expansive, drawing the listener into her moment of contemplation: “what stars, what night // what lines we connect when we follow the light // to darkened shores // seeking patterns we know amidst foreign folklore”.
 

Sonja Sofya honed her musical chops through intense classical piano and voice study, but found a creative outlet through songwriting at an early age. “I had some friends who formed an indie-rock band my freshman year of high school,” she recalls, “But though I begged, they wouldn’t let me join -- it wasn’t something girls were supposed to do. So I decided I’d write my own music instead!” Years later, Sonja has carved out a reputation for “nimble pianowork and powerhouse vocals” (Philly Current Magazine), and has performed throughout Philadelphia and the Mid Atlantic in rooms like World Cafe Live, Milkboy, Boot & Saddle, The Tin Angel, and North Star Bar (Philly), Caffe Vivaldi, Jalopy Theatre, and Pete's Candy Store (NYC), Club Passim (Boston), Radio Bean (Burlington), Midtown Scholar (Harrisburg), and The Black Fox (Washington, DC). She's shared the stage with artists such as Franz Nicolay of The Hold Steady, Chris Kasper, Birdie Busch, Aaron Parnell Brown, Joe D'Amico of Mason Porter, Amy Regan, and David Cope.

 

 

Photographer: Sarah Thielke