Drawing us in with padded drum riff and a cerebral, electric guitar performance with intricate percussion nuances, Trash Pals open Sonya with a situational and metaphorical narrative, before expanding into a power-pop meets indie-rock hybrid energy, and needless to say, we are mesmerized.
The opus evolves with charm and intrigue to take us on a journey of introspection. Sonically, Sonya showcases instrumental mastery and profound poetic prowess; and we are in awe of the textured vocal timbre shared by the talented creators.
Speaking on the message of Sonya, the duo from Los Angeles confess, “Sonya is rooted in accepting change. Quietude and inner reflection are required to accommodate the difficulties of change, but so often these processes are looked upon as aberrations of wellness rather than necessary modes of healing.” The pair continue, “Sonya is [our] response to others’ external discomfort with one’s own ways of processing change.” This is brought to life by the bridge lyrics, “Won’t tell you things will be okay / just let you take it day by day.”
Trash Pals go into further depth with regards to the conceptual narrative of the song and tell us that, “Sonya tells story of a young woman who falls asleep in her seat at a concert despite spending a hefty amount on her ticket. With her head on the shoulder of the stranger next to her, she takes in the music happening before her and wakes only to the thunderous applause at the end of the performance. By the final chorus we learn that she is there because the songs are ‘fading melodies / her mother sang to her.’ Is she there because the songs remind her of her mother? Is it her mother singing them to her from the stage? Or are these songs her mother once sang to her, long ago? The distance between Sonya and the music she is listening remains ambiguous, but one thing is clear: this is, for her, the way she is processing something and the best way for her to do so, even if from the outside it may seem hard to understand. To learn her in this way is to respect her fully, and it is here that her friends can perhaps be the most understanding and compassionate.”
The duo consists of Conor Rayne on bass, drums, guitar, production, vocals, and songwriting, whilst Gabriel Schnider shares his skill on guitar, keyboards, production, vocals, and songwriting! Trash Pals create with the intention of encouraging us to lean into how we feel, “whether it’s the messiness of processing loss, the urge to dance until [our] legs fall off, or everything in between.”
They cite a range of influences including Wilco, Bootsy Collins, The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Ray Charles, Karen Dalton, Nina Simone, Alma Mahler, Nirvana, Aphex Twin, and Squarepusher, but it is clear that Trash Pals are manifesting a universe of their own.
We love the intentional manner in which Trash Pals create. By accepting change for the purpose of healing offers a range of cathartic benefits that promote emotional resilience, self-discovery, and personal growth. We have added their philosophical release to our New Music Spotlight playlist and our new TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream their wider discography, including their 2023 EP, Love Object!