It’s a bright LA morning, and Soko has what you might call a good problem. As the 32-year-old musician and actress prepares for the release of her third studio record this June, she finds herself at the end of the success story she imagined for herself as a ten-year-old in rural France: “I’ve outlived my most massive dreams,” she shrugs, “So what do I do now? ”

Longtime fans know Soko as a gifted shapeshifter – from adolescent Parisian party animal to straight-edge darling of the French avant-garde film scene; from a punk in heavy eyeliner to a racquet-wielding, Bel Air-cruising Gucci muse. But a persistent theme threads its way through Soko’s oeuvre: a disarming earnestness that, when paired with sprawling sun-drenched instrumentals, is as blissful as it is raw. With the arrival of Feel Feelings (currently postponed due to current events), Soko perfects the recipe – 50 minutes of syrupy ASMR retrofitted with enough torque to tear at the heartstrings.

A lot has changed for Soko in the years since her last record (2015’s Dreams Dictate My Reality): she remained celibate for a year and a half while recording Feel Feelings and later became a mother. Eleven-month old Indigo Blue is the centre of her life now, but this multisensory third album is the fruit of the artist’s efforts to sift through the emotional detritus of a string of toxic relationships and the traumatic upbringing that preceded them.

Junya Watanabe MAN Patchwork Jeans £545

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