Based in Exeter, Soot Sprite began as the solo project of guitarist and vocalist Elise Cook, though has since morphed in a full band with Tom Gilbert (drums, production, backing vocals) and Sean Mariner (bass) welcomed into the fold. Writing of the EP Sharp Tongue back in 2019, we described their sound as positioned at the intersection of shoegaze and bedroom pop, a style “moody and dark but human too, balancing a simmering anger against vulnerability, a willingness to open up.”
This autumn sees Soot Sprite again team up with Specialist Subject Records for a brand new EP, Poltergeists. With their sound fleshed out with trumpet by Danny Lester and field recordings from Tom Stephens, the release finds the band at their most confident. A mood embodied by the seam of determination and self-belief that runs through the centre of the record. Because while the tracks emerged from a period of doubt and turmoil, Cook used the conditions as a springboard toward a greater sense of self-worth.
“I wrote these songs up until and during lockdown,” she explains. “About turbulent relationships with others, how they affected my relationship with myself, and eventually when they broke down.” But rather than wallow in the aftermath, Soot Sprite seize the opportunity to progress and grow, finding enough comfort in their own company, a newfound joy in life. “Just being able to accept myself,” Cook continues, “move on, and celebrate the accomplishments I’d made in my life regardless of others.”
Serving as something of a thesis for the EP, lead single ‘Alone But Not Lonely’ encapsulates this mood. The exact moment the fog clears after a relationship, when one relearns to position their view of the world according to themselves alone. “This was one of those epiphany moments, where I realised that alone I was not only okay, but I was thriving,” Cook explains. “And it wasn’t down to anyone else except myself. It was that realisation of self-love and owning my accomplishments in life. It came out in this form of pure joy that I needed to put into song.”
SAT 20th NOV – Cavern, EXETER
THU 2nd DEC – Exchange, BRISTOL
FRI 3rd DEC – Rossi Bar, BRIGHTON
SAT 4th DEC – The Victoria, LONDON
