There’s something about attraction, whether it be purely physical or on a deeper level, that seems to exist outside common sense. Sometimes that person you connect with just seems to click; fitting into your life like a long-lost puzzle piece. Other times it can feel like you’re forcing together the same side of two magnets, no matter how hard you try those opposing forces can’t meet. And yet, you can’t help but keep trying. It’s this latter scenario which Sophie Li captures in her rushing indie-rock single ‘Magnets’.
The Liverpool musician conveys this chaotic attraction from the very start of ‘Magnets’. With electrifying guitar riffs and emotionally-charged drums, there’s a palpable push-and-pull tension throughout the track. Li cites her stylistic influence to the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen and beabadoobee, but we’re also hearing some Sam Fender and fellow Liverpudlian Zuzu, particularly in her vocal delivery. She uses almost passive tonal lows to express those initial introspective thoughts, “I know you take all of my time lately, I think you fake the happiness you say she gives you.” By the time the track reaches the explosive chorus, Li‘s voice bursts into an emphatic response, “we fall and we break, you make my mistakes, we torture each other, and we always bounce like magnets.” Not only is ‘Magnets’ super relatable to anyone who has been through the throes of passion, it’s irresistibly catchy.
Accompanying the single is also a great music video, directed by both Sophie Li and George Higgins. The visuals follow a date’s unusual aversion, from drinking vodka tonics on a root-top on an atmospherically gloomy day to being transported through time and space to the forest. We’re going to leave our description vague as you’ll just have the discover this one for yourselves.
What we can tell you for certain is that ‘Magnets’ is an unmissable track.
You can also find ‘Magnets’ in our Indie Rockers and Shades of Pop playlist.
Follow Sophie Li:
UNRECORDED 