Sophie & The Broken Things - Delusions of Grandeur (2022)

Debut full-length album from Nashviille-based Americana band, featuring "Trouble" with Logan Ledger. Singer-songwriter Sophie Gault leads a fine band in the country-roots-Americana sphere called Sophie and the Broken Things She's been working on the delightfully funky "Trouble" off and on for about eight years.

In the piece, a couple commiserate about enjoying each other's company despite some signs that they might not be particularly great for each other. Some of the details of these signs are left to the imagination, with indications that they've been through some truly hair-raising experiences.

"It started out as a breakup song, but now I'm not really sure what it is," says Gault. "It has this mischievous flare about it, like ‘What did these two characters do exactly?!' So there's a fun mystery about it and it's kind of open to interpretation."

Sophie and the Broken Things recorded "Trouble" for their debut LP Delusions of Grandeur, set to be released via Petaluma on Feb. 11, 2022.

This version is a duet with Gault's fellow country-adjacent songsmith Logan Ledger. The record was tracked at Grey Gardens Studio, the home studio of local musician-engineer Ryon Westover, who you might have seen working at The 5 Spot or playing with bands like ElonMusk and Red Feather. Gault and Westover co-produced the record with bassist Twon Haugen. The LP was mixed by Ray Kennedy, a producer and engineer whose work you've heard on albums by Steve Earle and many more, who also served as an advisor during the making of the album. He has his own high praise for the record.

"Sophie's songs have a cozy familiarity with a feeling reminiscent of some of my favorite records from the '70s: timeless yet new with an emotional delivery I don't hear in other contemporary records," Kennedy writes. "The lyrics combine visual storytelling with melodies that make me want to sing along, and the band electrifies the many moods with textural tones of nostalgia to full-on rock 'n' roll."