I’ve been a fan of Sofa City Sweetheart for a few years now, and when I saw that their wonderful album, Super(b) Exitos, was available on vinyl, I had to add it to my collection. The album finds singer-songwiter Juan Antonio Lopez drawing on a wide range of songwriting influences including the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Kinks, and the Shins — all favorites of mine — and the arrangements are, in a word, super(b). Curious to learn more, I reached out to Lopez with a few questions…

I love the name Sofa City Sweetheart. To me it conjures couch surfing and trying to get by on the generosity of friends. What does the name mean to you?

That is a very sweet interpretation, and while I’ve definitely couch surfed on tour, the name is really just a quote from the John Hughes film Sixteen Candles. I’m not really sure why, but the phrase Sofa City Sweetheart always seemed to stick in my head, and I thought if it stuck in my head it would stick in other people’s heads too.

You’ve described yourself as an indie-rock storyteller. Why are stories essential to your music?

I’ve always gravitated towards “story songs”; I’m a huge fan of The Kinks, and Ray Davies’ storytelling, and songs like the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home” that have characters in them. These kinds of songs have always felt more relatable since I can picture the characters in my head while I’m listening and visualize what’s happening to them. I always thought it was a such a magical thing to tell a complete story in three minutes.

Do you do other types of storytelling as well – outside of music?

I don’t really tell stories in any formal way outside of music besides my very rarely updated poetry blog: https://lowpoetry.tumblr.com

A while back, you recorded a cover of a fairly obscure Beach Boys song, “I’ll Bet He’s Nice.” What was behind that choice?

I think at the time I was planning to record more covers, so I just picked one to start with. I should have picked a more popular song probably, but I had worked out a version on piano and I really like the way the bassline and the bridge sounded on it. I think straightforward covers are redundant, so I like to pick songs that I can make sound differently than the original, and I’m pretty happy with the way that one came out. Plus since I’m a Beach Boys nerd I thought others would enjoy a deep cut too.

I’m a huge fan of the Beach Boys myself. What draws you to their music?

So many things! The songwriting, the arrangements, the bass lines, the endless harmony, but also the lore and their history. They’re probably the most fun band to read and learn about. No matter how many I’ve heard, there’s ALWAYS a crazier story out there about them.

Your other influences include the Kinks, Elliot Smith, and the Shins. How do elements of each of those bands factor into your own approach to making music?

I love The Kinks songwriting, but also their sound and raw energy. Elliott is an incredible songwriter, but his sophisticated acoustic arrangements, production, and vocals inspire me so much . The Shins have great lyrics, but I also love their production and sound, especially on their album Chutes Too Narrow. Quality all around!

I recently purchased your album Super(b) Exitos on vinyl, and it’s amazing. (My wife loves it, too!) That one came in out in 2019, which feels like a lifetime ago at this point, at least for me. Even so, the songs have a timeless quality. Do any memories stand out from that period for you? In terms of writing and recording the album?

First of all your wife is awesome, so excellent choice there. Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH! One of my main goals is to make timeless music that will (hopefully) sound great in any era, and sound nothing like “2024” or whatever dumb year it happens to currently be. Can you imagine if I had a trap or dubstep phase???

Anyway, that album took me a long time to record, mostly on my own in my studio, but there were some really cool moments: recording the string players was amazing, and I also got to record all the piano parts on a Steinway grand piano which was such a beautiful instrument to play on. And cutting the vinyl at Capitol Records was a literal dream come true!!! Truly one of the best days of my life.

I know your most recent track is a single, last year’s “It Wasn’t You.” Do you approach writing albums and singles differently?

The writing isn’t too different per se, but I do tend to think in albums and after a while start collecting songs that I think sound or feel good together. If I release a stand alone single it’s mainly because it didn’t have a “family” of other songs that it fit into. Sometimes there’s an orphan, but I love them all the same.

My favorite track on Super(b) Exitos is “Stop the Thinking.” The trumpet solo in that one is beautiful! I played the track on the Bandcamping podcast a little while back and forgot that there’s a kind of false-ending in that song. What I’d call the main part of the song fades out, but then there’s an acoustic tune. It’s a cool effect, almost like a call-and-response. What was the thinking behind that decision?

Those are actually just two different songs (the second is called Loved Me More). A lot of my favorite bands would sometimes sneak an “in-between” song on their albums so I wanted to have some too. “Super(b) Exitos” actually has 17 songs on it, but it’s spread across 12 tracks–a whole lotta bang for your buck! The “acoustic folk song after a big rock song” idea I stole from the Joel Plaskett Emergency. Listen to their song “Waiting to be Discovered” (from their 2001 album Down at the Khyber) and you’ll see what I mean.

The album art is cool, too. It’s like there’s no up or down. Who designed it? Was there a concept or idea behind the design?

My friend Dave Van Patten drew the main cover image, then me and my graphic designer did the fonts and layout. I wanted it to be very balanced and be able to work any way you look at it, especially since it’s on vinyl and you can flip it over, so I wanted to play with that theme. Even if you look at the back cover, you’ll notice that the side A song titles are in one font color, then the side B are in a different color but upside down. Dave is an amazing local artist, and he actually recently won a Grammy for his work on a Grateful Dead box set!

Are you working on any new music at the moment?

Yes! Lots of things actually, but most likely a few cover songs will come out before my next original effort. I do have the next album basically written, and have started pre-production on that, which is exciting. I don’t have a strict plan at the moment, so I guess we’ll see what happens on the next episode of… Sofa City Sweetheart!