Dreamy shoegaze band from rainy Portland, Oregon. Formed in 2023.
Music
Second single 'Fruit on the Tree' - Available now:
Our debut single 'When Things Become' - Listen now:
About
- Duncan Calver / Guitar, Vox
- Terry Barefield / Guitar
- Matthew Flook / Synth
- Tim Eurich / Bass
- Adam Bayer / DrumsWaking Sophia is a Portland, OR, based dream pop/shoegaze band formed by long-time collaborators and friends from within the Portland music scene.Principal songwriter/producer Duncan Calver (The Pink Snowflakes, Unicorn Domination, Honey’s Dead, Thomas Mudrick with Boingg) leads the band with his melancholy, introspective vocals and echoing, reverb-drenched guitar tones reminiscent of Cocteau Twins. These sonic textures are complemented in mirror-like fashion by the dreamy guitar tones from Terry Barefield (We Miss the Earth, The Sleepover Disaster) and ethereal Vangelis-esque synthesizer work from Matthew Flook (Pinscape, Monsieur Soeur). The melodic post-punk-influenced bass lines by Tim Eurich (The Deadlines, LeweLyn, timeurich) and painstakingly curated, dynamic drum lines by Adam Bayer (The Mooney Suzuki, Low Twelve) ground the others band members’ cloud-like layers to create a comprehensive impression of sky and earth. Waking Sophia’s live set is intended to be an emotionally transportive journey, not just entertainment. But – entertain, they do.After their 2024 debut at Portland’s Polaris Hall, opening for local luminaries Sun Atoms and The Prids, the band released their first EP, consisting of three full-length songs and two short instrumental interludes. They have since played shows with a variety of up-and-coming bands including Swinging, Starling, Kallai, and Solara Obscura, and were the opening act for Portland’s Dreamgaze PDX shoegaze festival in late 2024. Their song “When Things Become” has been featured on X-Ray FM’s Six Beats Under show, as well as DKFM Shoegaze Radio.Waking Sophia is currently working on completing the recording of their first LP and look forward to mixing it with Larry Crane of Jackpot! Recording Studio, who was sought by the band in honor of their take on Elliott Smith’s “No Name No. 5.”“[Waking Sophia] re-imagines impressionistic and atmospheric, Slowdive-tinted, mesmerizing soundscapes... a dark ethereal realm where sad dreamy vocals sway with inner tumultuous momentums of stumbling drumbeats, gloomy meandering bass lines, and drifting and trembling mists of effect-laden wistful shimmering guitar echoes..." (White Light/White Heat review)
Contact
Get in touch: