Soot Sprite Announce Debut Album “Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon”
Due May 16th via Specialist Subject
& Share New Single “All My Friends Are Depressed”
Rising Exeter trio Soot Sprite have announced that their debut album, Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon, is set for release on May 16th via Specialist Subject (FRESH, Jeff Rosenstock, Doe, Muncie Girls). Alongside the announcement, the band have shared new single ‘All My Friends Are Depressed‘, is a reflection on the widespread mental health crisis.
Since the release of their debut single in 2018, Soot Sprite has grown from a one-woman lo-fi bedroom pop project to a fully-fledged touring alt-indie shoegaze outfit. Their debut album sees Elise Cook (lead vocals/guitar), Sean Mariner (bass/backing vocals), and Sam Cother (drums/backing vocals) fully embrace the dynamic highs and intimate lows that define their sound.
Of their new single, Cook says:
“This is my observation of the mental health crisis we’re in, how widespread it feels and how sociopolitical factors are playing such a huge part. It’s also a reminder to myself that I need to stop distracting myself from my issues and try and change something or face things or nothing will happen and I’ll never shake off the episode”
Soot Sprite’s new single is nothing short of a 2025 anthemic arrangement, lyrically it’s a sad truth. A powerful, bold and brash release that delivers a topic that threads honesty through the fuzzy and raucous instrumentation.
Soot Sprite have always had this daring nature which they capture within their vision. Be it the emotional value of the raw lyrics, to pushing themselves within the heavy tonalities, the captivating stop-starts and the melting guitar riffs that are designed to impress. The trio produce a sound that is exhilarating, brash and mighty, the sound of a band double it’s size. As the new single flows with this unpredictable push/pull momentum, Cook’s immense vocal range glides high above the robust textures and stamps this affectionate stitch to the voyage. The harmonies assist with shaping the dynamic atmosphere that continues to grow and adapt the intensive peaks. However, the energy of these three is something else, and that compelling drive is infectious from start to finish.
Sonically, Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon takes influence from many alt-indie greats, creating a sound that blends shimmering melodies with raw, visceral energy. “When I started Soot Sprite I was hooked on Clean by Soccer Mommy and Hovvdy’s Cranberry but with this record I was listening to a lot of Sweet Pill’s catalogue, Ovlov & Wednesday,” explains Cook. Written over a span of four years – some tracks taking shape just weeks before recording – the album was captured in September 2024 at The Bookhouse in London, with the help of former lead guitarist Abi Crisp and production by Tom Hill.
At its core, Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon is a record about refusing to let apathy take hold. Cook explains, “it’s about embracing empathy over apathy, despite the constant stream of worldly horrors. If we have empathy we can have hope, and with hope then change is always possible.” Inspired by Rebecca Solnit’s book ‘Hope In The Dark’, the album title reflects the urgent need for action in an increasingly chaotic world.
“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency.” Rebecca Solnit
Tracklisting
1. Days After Days
2. All My Friends Are Depressed
3. Spectator
4. Sunday
5. Doomed
6. Surprise Guilty Party
7. Grip
8. Vicious Cycles
9. Great Expectations
10. Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon
11. Cautious Optimist
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