There is an undeniably meditative quality to sofii’s I want this feeling to last forever, her upcoming four-track EP, out tomorrow June 27th. It’s reflective, somewhat melancholic, and allows listeners to sit back, relax, and get into an introspective mood. Today, right before the release of the record, the New Orleans-born, Paris-based artist teases what’s coming with the music video of Iwtftlf.
In her own words, this song is “bout nostalgia for something we don’t yet know or have lived — also known as anemoia.” It’s a strange feeling, one that makes you feel like an outsider or awkward in your own skin. But it’s also as real as life itself. If you’re used to daydreaming, or longing for things you’ve never had, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Even more, sofii adds: “It’s about a moment in time that stands perfectly still, a fraction of a second we wish would never end. This stillness, this calm before the storm, is at the heart of the track. It portrays a story suspended between the lived and the unlived, a memory that doesn’t belong to us yet aches like it’s already gone.”
The music video conveys this feeling and enhances the meditative quality of the track. It’s very dark, making you feel somewhat alienated; however, in every frame there’s always a light you can look up to, a hopeful place you can travel to: either the sunrise, a car’s front lights, or strobing lights giving the video’s characters a dynamic feeling contrasting with their calmness.
But before Iwtftlf, sofii’s EP includes three other songs: Cry for Me, Remember, and Pocket Dial, all of which share this introspective quality. This record marks sofii aka Sophie Koella’s debut in production, having crafted all of the tracks herself. Through them, she explores memory, emotion, “and the echoes of the unlived.” Highly textured, these songs feature a lot of lyrical repetition, a bit like mantras, helping listeners get into a trance-like state.
Born to a French father (also a musician, more specifically, a guitarist who used to play with Bob Dylan) and an American mother, Sophie grew up surrounded by creativity and music, so it was only natural that she followed that path. While growing up, she showed interest in both ballet and classic music as well as jazz’s improvisation, which marked her eclectic tastes. Now based in Paris, she co-founded the collective and event series More Hard Feelings alongside Emma DJ, Julia Lemaire, and Matière Noire, having organised events with the likes of Skrillex, Varg2TM, and Safety Trance.