The Sophs

Formed in Los Angeles around singer Ethan Ramon, The Sophs bring together Sam Yuh, Austin Parker Jones, Seth Smades, Devin Russ and Cole Bobbitt in a six-piece indie rock band with a wide spectrum that spans pop-punk, emo, grunge and power pop, with detours into folk, blues and funk. The Sophs emerged with early songs sent as demos to Rough Trade founders Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee, who went on to support the band. The Sophs’ songwriting rests on unstable narrators, intrusive thoughts and a constant tension between irony, unease and collective energy, while the music moves from nervy 1990s rock to more acoustic or straightforwardly melodic forms from track to track. This stylistic mobility is not a display of virtuosity but a compositional approach in which each song demands its own frame. The Sophs’ first album, Goldstar, is announced for 2026 on Rough Trade. On record and on stage, The Sophs develop a shifting yet coherent sound, driven by Ramon’s broad voice, often abrasive choruses and a pronounced taste for abrupt changes of tone.