The absence of human imperfection gives the robot a cold liberation. Korean-American artist Margaret Sohn strikingly zeroed in on this when they substantially enhanced Miss Grit on their 2023 debut album, Follow the Cyborg, freeing themselves from flaws to harness an idealised identity clear of societal expectations and binaries. It wasn’t entirely devoid of humanity – the cyborg is part human and machine – but that comfort eventually cratered into excess insularity, leading Sohn to arrive at Under My Umbrella.
Sohn offers an unguarded glimpse into the person shielded by this cybernetic exterior, which isn’t to say Follow the Cyborg didn’t have a personal tinge – its concept served self-actualisation. It’s notions of feeling human warmth, inviting more collaborators into their fold, and embracing spontaneity in songwriting that distinguish this iteration of Miss Grit as one with greater honesty, one that was also repeatedly alluded to in the press upon Follow the Cyborg’s release. Sohn knew their most authentic version of themselves was in arm’s reach, and here they finally are for us to see.
These new songs build on Sohn’s mechanical, rigid guitar-driven synthpop with stomping techno and bittersweet electronics, inducing a dreamy haze as the cyborg operates on a depleted charge. That wouldn’t be gathered from the turbulent opener “Tourist Mind”, where a maximalist maelstrom of swirling strings, acid synths, and heavy bass kicks underscores Sohn’s contrastingly resigned voice singing: “I’ve never wanted to be so alone.” It marks solitude as empowering, something they felt while touring alone, and is an intriguing dichotomy from their recent increased collaboration. The fallible shifting between these states of mind is further evidence of Sohn letting go of unrealistic standards.
For the most part, then, much of Under My Umbrella adopts a gentle, downtempo complexion. “Won’t Count On You” follows a steady, brooding electronic pulse, with Sohn’s featherweight hums petering out into a crescendoing acid house breakdown as they say the titular phrase, conveying their abandoned reliance on their cyborgian demeanour. A barrage of synthetic sparks makes a racket on “It Feels Like”, while Sohn the human peeks into their artificial exterior for healing introspection: “Now I’m left to help undo the hurt inside of you.” The lulling, inquisitive “Where Is My Head?” traverses delicately with Sohn at the fore, their back-to-back lyric “You’ll never see inside of me / You’re all so free” asserting their newfound, unworried openness, a theme later culminating during the continuous dream-pop segue of “You Will Change” into “Overflow”.
Under My Umbrella shows Sohn is no longer afraid of properly expressing themselves. Anxieties, tumult, and heartbreak of recent years might’ve accelerated that growth, but they always knew this change would come. The industrial-pop “Stranger” and trip-hop-indebted closer “Waste Me” together comment on being misunderstood and sacrificing genuine self-expression. Sohn may have honoured their emotions behind a protective barrier that once was true, but they’ve since found the courage to openly radiate their essence, which we should aim to do too.
