Sophie Sirota Talks Debut Album, Musical Memories And More

Jan 14, 2026 | Interviews

Words by Glenn Sargeant

Feature Image Photo Credit: Kit Foster

Sophie Sirota is a classically trained violist, singer and composer. She began working as a session violist while studying at music college, forming The Wrecking Crew agency soon after. Her debut album ‘Pressure Drop’ is out now on Costal Electronauts and she kindly chatted to us at JLTT:

What is your earliest musical memory?

Listening to the sounds of Vaughn Williams’ ‘Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis’ aged about 4. My dad used to play the record when I was in bed trying to get to sleep. He had built some massive speakers so the sound was amazing! I later got to play viola in the solo quartet for this at music college in London, which was an absolute pleasure.

When did you begin songwriting?

I wrote my first song when I was 10, for a competition celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Battle of Sedgemoor in Somerset (1685), when rebel forces supporting the Duke of Monmouth rose up against King James 2nd. My friend played the flute and I sang, and played a hand drum. We won the competition, and a trip to Amsterdam!

You have your debut album ‘Pressure Drop’ is out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

This album is made up of pieces that I wrote to perform at the Coastal Electronauts monthly electronic music sessions. I wanted to recreate the live feel of a performance, while having the freedom to manipulate and edit the loops separately, which I can’t do in a live performance. I made myself choose takes with more feeling, rather than those that were more ‘polished’ but somehow sterile sounding.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

I recorded the album at home, in a studio at the bottom of our garden that my partner (also a musician) built. I produced the album, and Peter Coyte mixed and mastered it in his home studio.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

Well, not really, but living near the seaside, I did have to put up with the occasional noisy seagull landing on the roof!

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

All the tracks were created using my Bridge electric viola, a Shure SM57 vocal mic, and my pedal board, recording straight into Logic. The most influential equipment I have is a collection of Chase Bliss pedals, specifically the Onward, Tonal Recall, Mood Mk2 and Lossy. They are wonderful devices!

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

That’s a tough question! Funnily enough, although the title of the track ‘mood’ is partly based on being asked to ‘stop sulking’ many times as a child, I think this is my most happy track. For anger, it’s got to be either ‘i feel’ or ‘glitch’, and the most reflective track is definitely ‘if i wrote a song would you like it?’ which explores the disconnect we sometimes feel in relationships when you’re not feeling the same things at the same time.

Who were the musicians who were on the album with you?

It’s all my own work -I’ve spent my whole career playing for/with other artists, which I love, but this is just me.

Does the album’s title have a specific meaning/significance?

‘Pressure Drop’ is the name of a spacecraft in Iain M Banks’ novel ‘The Hydrogen Sonata’. I am a huge fan of his work and the Sci-Fi genre in general, and wanted to reflect that somewhere in my album. It’s also influenced by the feeling of release that I had when I started to write and perform again after a long period of teaching and being a mum to two children!

Was it a difficult album to write?

The pieces themselves were not difficult to write. I compose in a very organic way- I start playing and most of the time a whole piece will come out of a single improvisation. With a few revisions, that is my process. I think that these works have been swirling around in me for a long time! The recording process was harder. I’m not a proficient Logic user, and I didn’t want to record to a click track so it probably took a lot longer than it otherwise would have under the supervision of a professional.

Who designed the album artwork?

The cover photo was taken at the Coastal Electronauts’ International Drone Day concert by the brilliant Kit Foster, and the rest of the artwork was designed by smelliott, who is a 19 year old noise artist, drummer and visual artist, and also my youngest. I knew that they would do a brilliant job on this, despite having a very demanding client!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Although originally from Cornwall, I have lived in Whitstable for the last 23 years and would describe it as ‘Pebbles, Oysters, Friends, Chips, Tides’

How do you look after your voice?

Badly – luckily I don’t have to sing a lot.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026?

I’m playing:

12.02.26 Coastal Electronauts, Umbrella Community Centre, Whitstable

19.02.26 Intox Extravaganza, Daltons, Brighton (collaboration with poet Simon Yorkshire)

28.02.26 You Are Here Festival, Gulbenkian Arts Centre, Canterbury

05.03.26 Tones and Drones, Walthamstow Trades Hall

12.03.26 Coastal Electronauts, Umbrella Community Centre, Whitstable

09.04.26 Coastal Electronauts, Umbrella Community Centre, Whitstable

14.05.26 Coastal Electronauts, Umbrella Community Centre, Whitstable

16.05.26 Kentronica Festival (International Drone Day Concert), Gulbenkian Arts Centre, Canterbury

29.05.26 Sheffield EMOM festival, Hagglers Corner

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

At least the same amount of people at the end as there were at the start of the gig, and if I have moved even one person then that’s brilliant.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I have to repeat the answer to the previous question about recording- all the same effects and instruments, plus a Boss RC-500 loop station, and a Boss RC-3 looper.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

It’s got to be a Sci-Fi novel – either ‘Surface Detail’ or ‘Excession’, both by Iain M Banks. I have read both books multiple times, and I love immersing myself into the complex and detailed stories that he created. And to write music for space scenes would be amazing!

One of the tracks is ‘Holding Tension’. What was the story/inspiration behind the song?

There’s not much of a story behind ‘holding tension’, but it explores the feeling of life’s constant digital ‘chatter’ where it’s easy to lose yourself and wonder ‘who are you? who am i’ and the feeling that things could snap and unravel at any time.

The song is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

The video was created by @diz_qo who provides us with incredible visuals at our monthly Coastal Electronauts sessions. I gave him free rein to choose 3 tracks from the album and this video will form part of a trilogy of films. Mark knows my music well, and I completely trusted him to come up with something amazing – I wasn’t disappointed!

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Björk- from the first time I heard her singing ‘Birthday’ with The Sugarcubes, I was hooked! PJ Harvey is just an incredible artist, I love her strength and vulnerability. Hearing Pixies for the first time blew my mind – the rawness and energy of Come on Pilgrim/Surfer Rosa is incredible! They opened my classically trained ears and inspired me to start playing the bass and to join a band at school. Kim Deal is my hero, I loved the way she was just herself and didn’t feel the need to dress up like most female musicians I saw at the time. Massive Attack, Steve Reich, Aphex Twin, Shostakovitch and I absolutely love DnB. If you haven’t heard of or listened to any of these then please do so immediately!

What two pieces of advice do you have for a novice musician?

Play, play and play some more. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Listen to every genre and play with as many people as you can – you will learn something every time, even if it’s that you don’t want to play with them ever again!

What makes Sophie Sirota happy and what makes you unhappy?

I’m happy when playing music live, and unhappy to see the rise of misogyny and racism that seems to be happening in the world at the moment.