Fun things, you enjoy them. Sad things, that’s what you write songs about. A theory that certainly applies to Robin Proper-Sheppard, the Sophia frontman. His band’s debut cd, Fixed Water, was an exercise in grief, and the follow-up release, The Infinite Circle, even more so. Robin Proper-Sheppard could be described as bloody minded. He would probably take it as a compliment. He should. The ex-God Machine’s songwriter’s project Sophia is unusual and unusually compelling. Sophia is about stark honesty, stripped-down and ecstatic sadness. The gorgeously grave songs of Sophia are the most astonishing emotional punch on the music scene today. The new album, There Are No Goodbyes, is due to be released by the end of April. At Sophia’s live shows, the songs carry a genuine gravitas, a quality that cannot be faked… And Robin Proper-Sheppard will be back at den Atelier with a full band and string quartet!