Leicester-born, London-based songwriter SOFY releases her highly anticipated debut album, How To Perform Magic.
Five years after releasing her debut single ‘Strawberry Milkshake’, SOFY has grown from her bubblegum-pop beginnings into an artist with a devoted following, FIFA soundtrack placements, Glastonbury appearances, sold-out shows and support slots for Sabrina Carpenter, Liam Gallagher and Kasabian, all without major label backing.
Now, How To Perform Magic marks a shift into darker territory, confronting digital burnout, industry frustrations, the pressures placed on women in music and the realities of navigating her 20s. With her debut album, SOFY bursts that bubble, revealing a more complicated reality underneath. It’s a darker version of SOFY in Wonderland, where the fantasy gives way to the realities of growing up, finding your identity and pushing back against expectations.
“The debut album is such a line in the sand and a cornerstone of an artist, and this is a very introspective record, I feel like I learnt loads about myself when I was making it. It touches on a lot of themes: self destruction, burnout, anger, depression, jealousy, lack of identity, and it can be quite sardonic and vindictive at times but there’s also a lot of hopefulness and humour in there. I genuinely feel as though it captures not only who I currently am as an artist and person but also the times we’re living in – I’m dead proud of it.”
SOFY
Written and recorded in Camden with longtime collaborator and bandmate Edward Denholm in almost total isolation, then mixed by Mercury Prize-nominated Nathan Boddy, How To Perform Magic moves between trip-hop, garage rock, Britpop and breakbeats. Across the album, SOFY explores self-destruction, burnout, anger, depression, jealousy, identity and the pressures of the music industry, balancing its darker moments with her signature humour and moments of hope.
How To Perform Magic is a bold new chapter for SOFY, stepping beyond the bubblegum fantasy to reveal an artist unafraid to confront the messier realities of growing up, creating and finding her place in the world.
Live dates:
In-stores
26th September – Rough Trade Bristol
27th September – Rough Trade Nottingham
28th September – Vinyl Whistle, Leeds
29th September – Assai, Glasgow
30th September – Jacaranda, Liverpool
1st October – Resident, Brighton
Headline tour 2027
10th March – The Grand Social (Main Room), Dublin
11th March – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast
13th March – King Tuts, Glasgow
14th March – Brudenell Community Room, Leeds
16th March – Academy 3, Manchester
17th March – The Waterfront Studio, Norwich
18th March – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
20th March – Think Tank, Newcastle
21st March – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
23rd March – Thekla, Bristol
24th March – Joiners, Southampton
25th March – EartH Hall, London
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