Bacchanalia Magazine

by Reb Jordin

Sophie Madison, an emerging Brisbane based pop rock singer songwriter, has released her debut single ‘ANXIOUS’ on April 12th and listeners are not disappointed upon hearing this amazingly vulnerable track. ‘ANXIOUS’ explores what it is like to live with anxiety in everyday life whilst it haunts you like a ghost, a constant shadow sheltering you from life’s sunlight. You shouldn’t want to dance to the feeling of a panic attack but somehow with her breathtaking talent Sophie has created a song with both heartbreaking lyrics and an irresistible beat that will be found at the top of everyone’s summer road trip playlists from now on.

The song opens stripped back allowing the listeners attention to fully absorb the carefully crafted lyrics, ‘I’m already anxious my eyes aren’t even open yet.’ This moment reflects being trapped within the shackles of your own self sabotaging thoughts as you drown in the frustration of being your own worst enemy. Anxiety is often inescapable, a relatable feeling to many listeners who find a safe space within this song and feel seen through Sophie’s beautiful words.

An electric guitar and pounding drums awaken into the pre-chorus lending the song a sound born within the angst painted walls of an early two thousands coming of age movie, where the film reaches it’s peak and our protagonist feels like the world and her own actions are teaming up against her. However, we’ve seen this film before so we know our leading lady will eventually feel whole and content again. ‘ANXIOUS’ continuous to build into the chorus as we are greeted by the lyrics, ‘in my head, always there, don’t torment me know’. Here Sophie continuous the theme of anxiety being the black cloud pouring pain on your life and chocking you with fear and despair. The listener is moved by the desperation lacing Sophie’s voice as she pleads for anxiety so stop tormenting her.

Soon we are met with a powerhouse bridge which escalates into a Kaleidoscope of booming drums and a shredding guitar mixed painstakingly with the lyrics, ‘I’m suffocating.’ This moment creates a sense of mounting tension mirroring the feeling of a panic attack or a small thought quickly spiralling out of control. 

Through ‘ANXIOUS’ and her tracks to come, Sophie has created perfect ‘eldest daughter anthems’ for the girls who crave academic validation in replacement of love but get burnt out easily. For the girls who stress over time escaping them when they haven’t achieved the goals their twelve-year-old selves dreamed of. For the girls who feel like they’re always on the outside of the inside jokes. For the maladaptive daydreamer girls who hyper fixate on that one comfort show. For the girls who are drawn to people that will always make them their second choice. Sophie casts a protection spell over her listeners, being like the friend they’ve lacked whilst she tells them they are not alone in their emotional turmoil. Their thoughts might be drowning them but others are going through this too so they can swim to the shore and heal together.

if you are local to the powerful artist Sophie Madison then you can catch her on April 20th at Greaser Bar for her first headline show.