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The Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-insides” Deconstructing Beauty and The Genius of SOPHIE”

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“The Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides” is the debut studio album by Scottish electronic musician SOPHIE, released in 2018. The Album is an abstract blend of ethereal hyperpop and surreal poetry mixed with Scottish beats. The Album covers topics of Gender Expression, Beauty ,Materialism and radical Self-love. While many question its portrayal of rebellion and its sonic politics , others believe the Album’s soul and its message is a tribute to the Punk and Alternative Uprising of England. While not completely on par in terms of visual aesthetics and sounds SOPHIE’s album and the Punk Movement interconnect in many ways.The Album shares the morals of punk , outright refusal of societal norms and giving voice to the oppressed and marginalized .

Now that SOPHIE’s Legacy and the absolute potency of its nature is discussed , we need to go over the most eye-catching part of this album , its unusual yet poetic name. The title “ The Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-insides” can have many definitions and interpretations but the best definition so far was said explicitly by SOPHIE herself . She defines it as “ I love every person’s insides” which is very insightful considering how the album aims to melt the veneers of beauty back into one’s insides. Once everyone’s carefully curated appearances can wear off and the odourless yet vibrant oil can seep out, then only can the essence of who we truly are begin to surface , like fluid unfiltered and untethered to someone or something’s expectation. When I use the word Deconstructing Beauty , I mean not to disregard it but I mean to mutate it . Beauty is subjective but our nature isn't and instead of arguing about what is beauty , shouldn't be be striving to deconstruct it and let the strange, beautiful product that comes from dismantling beauty’s surface come out.It’s not about disregarding beauty, but about mutating it stretching its edges, distorting its form, and reshaping it into something truer, stranger, and entirely self-defined. In this day and age , SOPHIE’s album stands as a testament in appreciation of beauty , whether it be pleasant or queer or mutilated as when the oil behind the pearl boils the pearl gleams.Quoting the Poetess ”My body is immaterial / My life is immaterial.” mentions how meaningless her life is if looked from a different perspective , it’s vulnerable and fragile but the ecstasy in materialization and self-love is what drives her soul. At this point SOPHIE becomes not an artist but an alchemist of sorts, catalysing different elements of philosophy to spread her message. SOPHIE’s ideology is reflected in her music as well , her tunes and beats are experimental and hyperpop which is a perfect parallel to her very pleasant and hedonia inducing visuals. It also references her strange and not status quo relevance in the pop industry .

While her music being a cultural phenomenon and an eccentric joyride , she has been the voice of many queer or marginalized identifying individuals like herself , expressing distaste , vulnerability and indignation provoked by political injustice and oppression of communities.While many Alternative and unconventional artists have the same aspirations and hopes as SOPHIE. She has managed to stand out and produce what is dubbed the greatest hyperpop album of all time. Aided by the fact that though many artists approach injustice against the abnormal as “ I Wont fit into your mould” , SOPHIE has transcended this thought and mutated it into her own reality , where “ I’ll create a world where all of me can exist in all of this space”.In deconstructing beauty, SOPHIE didn’t destroy it, she harnessed it, redefined it, and in doing so, carved a luminous, limitless space for all forms of becoming; her legacy is not just sonic but spiritual, a blueprint for liberation through this gem of an album.

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Published on 6/24/2025

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Aarav Timilsina is a student at Deerwalk Sifal School who loves writing articles, exploring diverse topics, and engaging in creative discussions.

Aarav Timilsina

Grade 10

Roll No: 26028

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