Locked in their “producer dungeon” warehouse, sophie meiers pours over three EPs they’ve spent the past two years materializing. Looking over 50 tabs pulled up on their search browser, they switch between internet archives and anthologies of symbols, back into Ableton while their notebook lays sprawled in front of them. They’ve reached the final stretch of their overambitious, immersive project they abstractedly call their “portals”. Three EP’s — each encapsulating its own unique sound, story, and world.
Leave behind the present moment, and step into the first portal: shine__space. Drenched in chrome and reflecting blue and purple light, shine__space is reminiscent of a metallic, synthetic dreamscape. sophie describes this project as the “gateway, the space outside of the house, past the windows and the sky”. Sonically, the project revolves around cutting sequenced synths, arpeggiators, and resampled audio — vocal chops reminiscent of a digital age. “When I listen to music, I see and experience vivid imagery — sounds have smells, environments, and textures to me.” This is one of the main inspirations behind their portals — to be able to take the elaborate visions in their imagination into the real world. shine__space is threaded with surreal, euphoric stories that suspend you in an anodized environment — inviting you to observe these preserved moments through an out-of-body experience. The character that belongs to this world is a demi-human android — emblazoned with bright blue and purple hair, sculptures, and textiles. Join them to experience a glossy, dreamlike vision leading through the first portal.
After exploring the gateway, spark__space transports listeners from the surreal glossy world of shine__space into a world of flesh and blood. spark__space is the warmth, the organic matter, the worldly. sophie says that in reference to the project being a “house”, spark__space is “the structure, the building, the living room”. It feels like flushed cheeks, comforting fabrics, and delirious longing. Opposed to the synthetic sound of shine__space, spark__space is quite the opposite. Saturated guitars, hazy baselines, and cushiony vocals blanket the organic production with a sense of untouched honesty. “I think that what makes these songs so special is that they are not trying to be anything — they are not over thought or edited — just exactly how I felt in that given moment”. The songwriting explores the nuances of mundane human experiences: the feeling of lust, attachment, devotion, and change. sophie says: “If the character for shine__space is a posthuman reflection of myself, spark__space is the most stripped back, primal version of who I am. Open, vulnerable, material.” As the project winds to a close, you will find yourself at the end of a long, narrow hall — where a stairwell leads from the comfort of the flame into a darker, shrouded basement.
You hesitantly follow the dimly lit path down the stairway, now entering the crawl__space. crawl__space is the place where your secrets go to hide — the underbelly beneath the dreamlike world of shine__space and the organic environment of spark__space. sophie says they’ve always been fascinated with the mysteries concealed behind day-to-day life. “I want to talk about the parts of humans’ lives that we don’t begin to admit to ourselves — dirtiness, sickness, struggle, immorality, perversion.” crawl__space embodies the muck and grime inside of us all — confessions of obsession, self-destruction, and violent fairy tales. crawl__space is the final piece of their three-part immersive world. The EP centers around distorted guitars, crushed drums, and haunting vocals. These traits collide with morbid lyrics, invoking a palpable world with their descriptive storytelling. The character for crawl__space is a macabre expression of themselves with a slight fascination with destruction. Expressed with muted colors and textures, disheveled clothing, and stark contrast, the character explores the eerie beauty of the things we find “disgusting”. The project winds down with a somber lullaby, guiding you to the end of the basement where you find a window shaped like you.
Outside of music, sophie is almost equally obsessed with a myriad of topics: visual art, CGI, quantum mechanics, and philosophy. They are constantly searching for the little things that tie together the greater tapestry of our lives. “Things become so much more interesting when you realize that everything you learn can relate back to any subject,” they explain. “To be able to capture a moment with sound is — in itself — magic. Vivid stories can be etched into airwaves forever. Music is a universal language — the ability to freeze time. It’s an exploration of the meaning of human mortality.” They currently spend their time continuing to explore the possibilities within art, music, and technology — and how their convergence can change the way we see and experience the world. “If you think about it, the possibilities are literally endless. Things are changing so rapidly as we explore this new terrain of what it means to make and share art. I’m so excited to evolve with our technology and see things we could have never imagined seeing in our lifetimes.” Buckle in, and step into the first doorway of this alternate universe. It’s everything you never imagined.
Hailing from a small mountain town in Colorado, sophie meiers became obsessed with music at a young age, propelled by the myriad of resources that the internet holds. They left home at 15, paving their own way through creative ingenuity and a DIY mindset that carries into their art and work ethic. Existing on a plane all their own, LA-based artist sophie meiers (they/them) has created a surrealist alternate universe for their art to live, melding their passions for writing, visual artistry, and producing with an aesthetic uniquely their own. Their experimental production, sultry vocals, and lyrical honesty have garnered them 700K monthly listeners, with their talents recognized and celebrated by The FADER, PAPER Magazine, Billboard, Consequence, i-D, Lyrical Lemonade and more.
