Sophie (album)

After Sophie's unexpected death in 2021, plans of releasing her unpublished works were discussed. In June 2021, her brother Benny Long considered the possibility of a posthumous release of her planned follow-up to her debut album, ''Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides'', stating it "just needed finishing touches". According to Long, the album was nearly complete at the time of Sophie's death. The track list was "roughly sketched out" by her. As a longtime studio engineer of Sophie, Long completed the album. Their two sisters were also involved in the process. For most of the songs, features such as arrangements and production had already been prepared. Some songs needed minimal mixing and mastering, while others were somewhere between sketches and demos. Extensive discussions with Sophie guided him in determining the direction each track should take. On 21 June 2024, Sophie's YouTube channel and a new social media account titled "@msmsmsm_forever" uploaded a series of videos and posts teasing an announcement on 24 June 2024. When the teased date arrived, the lead single from the album, "Reason Why", featuring Kim Petras and BC Kingdom, was released alongside an announcement of the posthumous self-titled album to be released in September that year. On Instagram, Sophie's family posted a statement regarding the album: The album released on streaming services two days early on 25 September, following the premiere of a six-minute video showcasing interviews from the album's collaborators. == Reception ==

Similarly, Jesse Dorris from Pitchfork called it a "bittersweet, difficult to pin down, and an unusually safe statement from one of the 21st century's great risk-takers", The Quietuss Karl Smith stated that "SOPHIE's absence is most keenly felt in the many gaps on this posthumous guest contributor album", with many hallmarks of her music "dialed down throughout or, in some cases, gone altogether". Slant Magazines Charles Lyons-Burt felt that "without her patented mix of prankish wit and bleeding-heart expressivity to guide the project, [the album] feels more like a ChatGPT recreation of a true visionary's unique brand of pop". Writing for Resident Advisor, Sasha Geffen opined that the "underdeveloped second album reveals just how much of her music's impact came from its finishing details", feeling that the release lacked "the propulsive, dynamic sound of the music SOPHIE shared just months before her death", including her 2020 HEAV3N livestream. Year-end lists == Track listing ==

Credits taken from the vinyl. All tracks produced by Sophie & Benny Long. Notes • "Always and Forever" contains an interpolation of "One Man" by Chanelle. == Personnel ==

• Sophie – production • Benny Long – production • Alex Evans – mixing • Matt Colton – mastering • Renata Baksha – creative direction, photo art • XK Studio – cover art • International Magic – design, gatefold art • Calum Morton – artistic consultation == Charts ==