ALBUM REVIEW: Soot Sprite – Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon

‘…a strong debut record that has passion, creativity, and heart threaded throughout…’

Originally the solo bedroom pop project of vocalist Elise Cook, Essex-based Soot Sprite have evolved considerably since their 2018 inception. Now a three-piece outfit, the band have teamed up with Specialist Subject records to bring listeners their debut record, ‘Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon’.

Much of this record still holds true to Cook’s original vision, and sits squarely on the folk and bedroom-pop ends of the emo spectrum. However, the addition of bassist Sean Mariner and drummer Sam Cather, the band also bring in some driving indie rock ideas that complement the softness perfectly. The result is a record that is all at once whimsical, cosy, and cathartic.

‘Spectator’ is a beautiful and breezy number that places jangly guitar work against subtly strident percussion, whilst Cook delivers a genuinely spellbinding performance, with soft verses building towards a genuinely powerful climax; those belted notes in the track’s dying moments are majestic, and are placed perfectly within the soundscape.

‘All My Friends Are Depressed’ is a thumping alternative rock number, with its darkly witty lyricism dealing with navigating young adulthood in the dystopian hellscape that is the modern world. Cook’s vocals, with their wavering and imperfect nature, work beautifully to capture the bleak, acerbic nature of this track, and the bar ‘We’re all rain clouds/With a sunny disposition’ is perhaps tattoo worthy.

‘Surprise Guilty Party’ continues to build upon these alternative rock ideas, with a real grit present in the punchy riffs and driving percussion. The muted bridge segment leaps wonderfully into an explosive climax that simply demands a live audience. ‘Great Expectations’ brings a gentle country flair to proceedings to create a genuinely fun listening experience. Cook’s bitter lyricism is delivered with a playful bite, and the dancing guitar work in the post-chorus is some of the finest on the record.

The title track sees punchy verses surge into soaring choruses, capturing perfectly the record’s sentiment of persisting against all odds. Once again, Cook’s lyricism shines here, with plenty of bars that are certain to speak deeply to those weighed down by the state of existence; ‘Just getting up means that you’re fighting/Because hope is a weapon’ and ‘Brace the fire/We live in hell’ are just two of many stand-out lines. Everything is wrapped up with the understated, stripped-back closing number ‘Cautious Optimist’, as Cook wonders what the point of having hope in a hopeless world even in is.

The only major issue with this record is its pacing. ‘Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon’ demands patience and attention, with its slower pace and often fuzzy nature, and unfortunately too often does it become easy for the mind wander away from the record. ‘Days After Days’ is an ambitious album opening number, but the track simply does not fill its extensive run time adequately enough to keep you engaged. Meanwhile, ‘Sunday’ and ‘Grip’ don’t even reach the two minute mark, and feel as though they’re uncertain as to whether they want to be interludes, or fully fledged songs.

It is otherwise impossible to find any major flaws with this record; what Soot Sprite have put together here is a strong debut record that has passion, creativity, and heart threaded throughout. They’re not here to deny that we are living through terrible times, but instead here to remind you to persist at all costs, and that’s a message worth listening to.

RATING: 76/100 – Mostly Very Good

For Fans Of: Ugly Jumper, Turnstile, Noise Beneath The Floor, Bear’s Den, Labyrinthine Oceans, Soccer Mommy

Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here.

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify