A Stripped-Back Folk Statement Of Accountability And Release
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Sophia Casson-Smith arrives with a song that feels quietly decisive. “not with me”
, featuring George Mercer, is the kind of folk-Americana cut that doesn’t raise its voice to make a point; it settles into the room and lets the truth land on its own. Built from acoustic guitar, banjo, lead vocal and close harmonies, the single opens a new chapter for the Hampshire-based songwriter, one rooted in plainspoken feeling and careful craft.
There’s a lived-in honesty to Sophia’s writing that makes the track feel immediate. She has a way of sounding both weathered and clear-eyed, as if she’s already done the hard thinking and is now inviting you into the conclusion. Here, that conclusion is accountability. The song moves from self-blame towards release, naming the harm without taking ownership of someone else’s choices. Anger, in her hands, doesn’t curdle into bitterness; it becomes part of the repair.
That emotional shift gives “not with me”
its charge. Written in a single evening, the song arrived fully formed, which makes sense when you hear how naturally its parts sit together. Sophia’s vocal carries the weight, but never feels crushed by it. George Mercer’s banjo adds warmth and a slight flicker of movement, like light through branches, giving the track a shape that’s intimate without feeling fragile. The result is spare, but never bare.
Recorded in Sophia’s home studio in a garden outbuilding, the single carries the texture of a space built for focus and flexibility. You can almost hear the closeness of the walls, the calm of working in a place that allows music and family life to coexist. That setting matters. It mirrors the song’s emotional architecture: contained, personal, and made with intent. Supported by The King’s Trust, the studio and forthcoming EP Open Jar have given Sophia the freedom to shape this new body of work on her own terms.
If “not with me”
is the first glimpse of Open Jar, it sets the tone beautifully. The EP promises songs shaped by reflection, growth and hard-won understanding, with each track opening onto a different stage of self-acceptance. The title says plenty on its own: a container of experiences finally loosened, allowed to breathe, and maybe even to change shape in the air.
Sophia’s path to this point gives the release extra depth. After time away from the industry raising her children, she returned through electronic collaborations as a topliner, lending her voice and songwriting to chill house and other contemporary projects. That work sharpened her range, but “not with me”
reveals the centre of her solo identity: a writer drawn to emotional directness, and a performer who can hold fragility and strength in the same breath.
For listeners who gravitate towards Morgan Wade, Benjamin Tod or Martha Wainwright, this is an easy one to sink into. Sophia Casson-Smith sounds like someone stepping into her own frame at last, with a song that carries the quiet relief of telling the truth and leaving the rest where it belongs.
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