Sharing both German and American descendants, Sophia Alexa grew up in Amsterdam but is now based in London. The soulful artist just released a cohesive and refined four track EP, “Groundwork”. The first song, “House of Cards”, exposes the singer’s vocals backed up by a soft guitar and faint percussion that builds up to a climax in the chorus.

 “Hit and Run” is the follow-up track from the blissful EP. The song packs a high tempo beat, creating more movement, with vocal effects that give the idea of expansion and openness. With a catchy chorus and an unquestionable pop tone, it hits on having insecurities and using self-defense mechanisms but it runs on the need to escape.

My personal favourite comes in number 3, “Buried Alive” brings an acoustic melody accompanied by a delicate piano with an underlying pulse. The intimate song imposes important questions in a dreamy and spatial atmosphere where the overlapping voices and little instrumentation cues fill the song. There is a final counterpoint of the various sections illustrating a multiplicity of voices and a possible confusion of thoughts.

 The conceptual EP, finishes with some impactful rough dry drums. “Kids” settles for a more pop rock inspiration, with a contagious initial beat and a more stirring melody that transports us to a powerful chorus. Overall, “Groundwork” is a remarkable debut piece of work, it is finely calibrated, authentic and deep. Sophia clearly knows how to make an entrance , what comes next could only be even better. Stay tuned