Review: Adult Mom — ‘Soft Spots’

Posted: by The Editor

adult mom soft spots

In tumultuous times, Steph Knipe reminds us in Soft Spots that it’s okay to be inside your head at times and search for your own truth, even while it feels like there are much bigger issues at hand. They express self-doubt, insecurities, and more, which we all feel, maybe now more than ever.

While dealing with often serious issues, Adult Mom’s music is ever-upbeat. A gentle bedroom-pop vibe weaves in and out; we could be in their bedroom with them, watching an intimate performance of thoughts ripped from a journal. Laid-back guitar picking under Knipe’s soft voice lull us into a sense of community and security. We’re all in this together. The album opens with “Ephemeralness,” a quick track about fleeting love where Knipe tells us “if you feel like nothing, I’ll tell you that you are something, and you’ll believe me instead,” ensuring we’ll feel better.

“J Station” is a summer night, a last shot at a romance, heading out to the “BYOB place on Avenue A” and really giving it a try before realizing it truly won’t work out. “I’ll regress to 12 a.m. calls that hurt you too, one more song for old sake/I’ll be sad you were ever in my life in the first place.” If only we could block out painful memories of relationships that don’t work out, would we be happier? Catching a bit of greeting their friends on the next track, it’s like we’re there with them. “What’s up friends?” we hear before Knipe kicks the track “Patience” off.

The whole album is a relaxing and introspective work. Closing with “First Day of Spring,” Knipe realizes their shortcomings, but willingness to try, with “I’ll give you all of me, but right now it isn’t much.” While we all have anxieties, Knipe manages to express them in a way that’s not overwhelming, but almost comforting. We’ve found our people we can relate to and we can all move forward together.

Score: 8/10

Kat Harding | @iwearaviators