B-Side Guys

Sophie Cozine has engineered an escape route from patterns that masquerade as protection, where the act of saying no becomes more revolutionary than any declaration of independence. “In Shadows” operates as both inventory of damage and instruction manual for recovery, transforming the cyclical nature of trauma into something that can finally be interrupted through conscious choice.

The track’s dream pop foundation provides the perfect vehicle for Cozine’s meditation on empowerment through acceptance. Her use of slide guitars creates textures that feel both melancholic and hopeful, while her vocal approach carries the weight of someone who’s discovered that strength often emerges from acknowledging rather than avoiding vulnerability. The production builds patiently toward its climactic final section, mirroring the slow accumulation of courage required for genuine change.

Cozine’s lyrical approach captures the specific mathematics of repeated self-harm. “You rode around / 10 times or so” suggests the exhausting circularity of returning to the same destructive situations, while her repeated question “how many years / til you say no?” transforms time into a form of currency that’s been consistently misspent. Her delivery embodies the particular exhaustion of someone who’s finally ready to stop negotiating with their own patterns.

What makes “In Shadows” compelling is its acknowledgment that empowerment isn’t about erasing scars but learning to “wear them like art.” Cozine understands that healing doesn’t require amnesia—instead, it demands the conscious choice to stop repeating behaviors that no longer serve survival. Her approach suggests that sometimes the most radical act is simply deciding that enough cycles have passed.

The track succeeds because it treats self-liberation as a practical rather than mystical process, where taking back your power looks less like dramatic transformation than patient decision-making. Cozine has created something that functions as both lullaby and wake-up call, proving that sometimes the gentlest music carries the most revolutionary message.