Sophie Hutchings – Not Alone (Spotify)

Sophie Hutchings is an Australian composer who thrives in the outdoors, amidst the calm and sometimes chaotic nature of the ocean. Her new single, Not Alone, is her first release of 2021 and the principal segment from her upcoming Love & Keep EP. Not Alone is a soft inward reflection, a beautifully comforting effort that looks at the longevity and significance of friendships in times of uncertainty and struggle.

Instead of leaning towards the (arguably) traditional outlets of a teenager, Sophie grew up organically drawing on the mindful, meditative benefits of the ocean. It then came naturally to Sophie to weave elements of this medicinal effect through her work. When she wasn’t riding the waves, or absorbing the changing scenes of the horizon, Sophie was thrown into her Father’s vast jazz collection or her older brothers’ and their love of heavy indie rock unless he found her own, unique, soundscape.

Although creating, crafting and tweaking her music comes naturally, Sophie prefers to work internally, immersing herself in sound, rather than launching herself into the world of the stage. Her piano-led music has been described by The Guardian as holding “an intimate contemplative quality; sometimes melancholic, often with an exhilarating beauty.” Having amassed over 80 million streams on Spotify alone, Sophie has crafted her trademark sound and has collected accolades that include a nomination for …., a play on Jorja Smith’s most recent Tearjerker podcast as well as heavy support from 6 Music in the UK and ABC in her home country, Australia.

Love & Keep is a body of work that exposes a journey of connection, embracing the unpredictable, sometimes volatile, nature of the world, and how sleep is fundamentally intertwined in everything we do. Recorded in the dead of night, this six-track EP looks at the sometimes expanse of sleep as a quiet, reflective beauty, through the unique lens of the insomniac, Sophie. Not Alone specifically is a single that calls to the bigger picture. It’s a confession that even as an introvert, in times of enforced isolation, one recognises a need for those around you. Sophie’s creation holds a reminiscent feeling, a longing for the support of your loved ones, rather than another soulless, endless, scroll through the social universe.