before/after is the fourth studio album by the Austro-Iranian artist Sofie Royer, a captivating record co-produced by Matt Cohn (SZA, The Weeknd), Jorgen Odegard (Sabrina Carpenter), and Eli Hirsch (Suki Waterhouse). Hailed as one of the most intriguing pop stars in Europe for her captivating voice and quirky aristocratic glamour, the Viennese musician presents her most incisive record to date. After three acclaimed albums, her writing and production gain complexity and maturity, driven by sharper and more humorous lyrics. In this album, Sofie Royer explores the challenges of being an artist, blending personal introspection and cultural commentary. Although she has transitioned from being a lo-fi producer to a true pop musician who has opened for Lana Del Rey, Air, and LCD Soundsystem, she still struggles to find her place. Through twelve catchy tracks, she questions the conflicts between past and future, which she perceives as struggles against oneself. She explains that our concern for the states before and after (from which the album title before/after comes) often constitutes our greatest obstacle, concluding that in this temporal in-between, the true duel is always from self to self. Beneath its accessible exterior, the album is a work of deep reflection that finds the perfect balance between pop melodies and indie production.