{"product_id":"the-sophs-goldstar","title":"The Sophs - GOLDSTAR","description":"\u003cp data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"\u003eLos Angeles six-piece The Sophs have ridden a wave of notoriety ever since signing to Rough Trade Records on the strength of their demos - which they cold-emailed to labelheads Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee before they ever even played a show. Following last year’s releases of stand-alone singles ‘I’M YOUR FIEND’, ‘SWEAT’, and ‘DEATH IN THE FAMILY’ and worldwide touring, the band are ready to unleash their debut album GOLDSTAR, out March 13, 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe band’s brutal honesty, flamingly intrusive thoughts, and broad genre-spreading caught the attention of Rough Trade founders Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee immediately. When Ramon sent a demo reel out to his favorite indies, he wasn’t expecting any replies. But Travis and Lee were in his inbox the next day, asking if he’d hop on a call.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRough Trade heard the sort of creativity and variety — and “don’t expect me to act pretty” sentiment — that could get The Sophs — including Ramon, Sam Yuh (keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (electric guitar), Seth Smades (acoustic guitar), Devin Russ (drums), and Cole Bobbitt (bass) — a slot on nearly any stage. At any moment, The Sophs are entering pop-punk; blazing through funk; talk-singing to the audience. Their enthusiasm for every iteration is evident, and Ramon’s rich, full voice deftly nestles into endless categories, utterly chameleonic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We never try to be as versatile as we end up being,” Ramon said. GOLDSTAR has a Delta Blues-style song; it has a ZZ Top-inspired tune. To some degree, The Sophs see song creation like pop art: they’re focused on the idea of reproducing something over and over again until it's meaningless. “I want to steal and plagiarize and borrow,” Ramon explains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe record asks, where’s my gold star? Where’s my validation? Why am I not being rewarded for how much of a good person I am? Am I doing mitzvahs for the right reason? The titular track — which kicks off with flamenco-style fingerpicking — wrestles with the philosophy of really being good and what that looks like.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMost of The Sophs’ songs don’t let the listener relax — mostly because you never know what’s coming next. The band has a passion for sudden and complete destruction, for playing with the tension between pulled-back silence and total explosion. That’s where you hear The Sophs members’ as they really are: explosively positive, happy, collaborative. Think of the “degenerative posturing” instead as a “jester’s privilege.” When they’re playing together in a room, you see nothing like the character they’re putting forward. Instead, you feel a bombastic, thrilling energy that underlies the sextet’s creative power.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ROUGH TRADE RECORDS","offers":[{"title":"Transparent Red LP","offer_id":56523994071384,"sku":"TKM-29972","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":56523994104152,"sku":"TKM-29973","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56523994136920,"sku":"TKM-29974","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4266\/0184\/files\/343ce7c7dda2e50136ac07bf7da018e0.jpg?v=1768300557","url":"https:\/\/truckmusic.store\/products\/the-sophs-goldstar","provider":"Truck","version":"1.0","type":"link"}