American songstress Sofila stuns on her effervescent, panoramic and emotionally potent mixtape ‘I Don’t Remember October’. Only a college student, at such a young age Sofila shows incredible perception and versatility on a tape that is distinctive, eclectic and boundless. She explores the deep, dark edges of vitality, searching for answers and stability in a world of uncertainty and all consuming emotion. On this seven legged project, we hear Sofila experience elation, melancholy and optimism, and we feel everything with her.

On the opening track, ‘Incomplete’, we are introduced to Sofila's soft, vulnerable and endearing tone. She purrs on the beat, pondering whether she could ever feel complete and content within a state of existence. A moody, psychedelic instrumental is merged with soaring vocal harmonies and questioning, sombre writing on the creative cut. This is followed by, in my opinion, the stand out track of the project, and one of my favourites of the year, ‘7th World Wonder’. This is a beautiful, endlessly giving entry, that knocks you off of your feet, hitting you deep in the soul. The vocal melodies are audacious and angelic, the instrumental is textured and stirring, and the lyricism is poignant and heartbreaking.

This unreal vibe is followed by a more moody, off-kilter track, ‘Wasted’, that contains some engaging percussion and brooding tones full of attitude. We are also introduced to our first feature, Waylin Flaza, who delivers a thought-provoking, sentimental verse. The next two tracks are more progressive, jazz influenced tracks, with ‘Take Ur Time’, featuring Chozin, offering some adventurous horns and a memorable chorus, while ‘Five Guys’ is a more airy, spacious number with a striking autotune verse. The penultimate ‘Emmavie’ is another standout moment on the tape, with a bittersweet, summery timbre, a strong, notable feature from Bermudacal, a breezy instrumental and some effortless, gorgeous vocal melodies from Sofila. The final entry, ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose’ is a perfect closer - a dysphoric, wistful ballad with a tinge of hope, a boatload of beauty and a killer hook.

With solid features, deeply affecting, quintessential songwriting and a diverse variety of beats, this is a highly impressive, nuanced and mature project from an exciting and charismatic artist. Sofila has talent in abundance, and I am excited to see what is next for her!