Exhilarate: SOPHIE’s Final Accelerated Daydream

1st September, 2024

SOPHIE’s “Exhilarate” is an adrenaline-fuelled fever dream, a sonic amusement park ride where every loop feels like it could throw you into the stratosphere.

"Exhilarate" ft Bibi Bourelly single art — “Exhilarate” ft Bibi Bourelly single art

The beat is your seatbelt, Bibi Bourelly’s voice the disembodied guide reminding you to keep your hands inside the ride at all times—or don’t, because SOPHIE never really cared for rules.

This isn’t the kind of posthumous release where the edges are smoothed and the rough spots polished away.

No, “Exhilarate” is a jolt to the system, a final love letter scrawled in neon ink, loud, messy, and unapologetically alive.

SOPHIE’s music has always been a force that grabs you by the collar and demands your full attention, and “Exhilarate” is no different.

It’s all about the moment, the here and now, pulling you into a present that feels electric.

Fasten Your Seatbelts: The Ride of a Lifetime

You don’t listen to “Exhilarate”; you feel it. Bibi Bourelly’s vocals slice through SOPHIE’s industrial chaos, but this isn’t about opposition—it’s about fusion.

Each lyric dares you to keep up, every beat pushes you to your limits.

“Got my foot on the gas, and I won’t stop for no one,” Bourelly declares, and for a moment, the world shrinks to just you and the sound.

The thrill isn’t merely in the speed; it’s in the sense that anything could happen, that SOPHIE’s creation is teetering on the edge of control.

The title “Exhilarate” hints at the rush, the surge of adrenaline that SOPHIE’s music always delivers.

But there’s more at play. “Exhilarate” echoes “accelerate,” a word that perfectly captures SOPHIE’s relentless drive to push forward, to innovate, to never look back.

This track embodies that momentum, with a sound that propels you forward, faster and faster, until you’re breathless, caught up in the sheer force of SOPHIE’s vision.

Dual Meanings: The Thrill and the Drive of “Exhilarate”

“Exhilarate” is a collision of thrill and propulsion. SOPHIE was never content to stand still, and this track proves it.

From her groundbreaking debut album OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES to this final studio effort, her work has always been about movement—emotional, sonic, and physical.

This isn’t just a song; it’s a ride at full throttle, a reflection of SOPHIE’s ethos: keep moving, keep creating, and never slow down.

Speeding into the Sunset: A Farewell at 100 MPH

“Exhilarate” feels less like a curtain call and more like the climax of a high-speed chase, leaving you on the edge, wondering where the road leads next.

There’s urgency here, not just in the beat but in the way SOPHIE pulls Bourelly into her orbit. This music doesn’t waste time; it accelerates towards the horizon without a second glance.

No Safety Nets, No Apologies

In a universe of finely-tuned pop perfection, “Exhilarate” rips through like a jagged bolt of lightning.

SOPHIE was never about playing it safe, and this track refuses to hold your hand. It shoves you into the deep end, daring you to keep up.

And as you plunge in, you realise that this is exactly where you were meant to be—right in the thick of it, feeling every pulse, every beat, every shiver of sound.

The fourth single from SOPHIE’s posthumous album has been unleashed, marking another chapter in the musician’s unparalleled legacy. “SOPHIE,” the second and final studio album from this trailblazing artist, is set to arrive on 27 September 2024.

Crafted by SOPHIE, Bibi Bourelly, and Kennedi Lykken, and brought to life under the production genius of SOPHIE and Benny Long, “Exhilarate” is a powerful collaboration, a vibrant collision of minds that knew how to turn sound into something more—a feeling, an experience, a force.

So get ready to let go. Press play, and feel the force of SOPHIE’s final creation as it pulls you into its whirlwind, leaving you exhilarated, breathless, and wanting more.

Coda: The Legacy of the Relentless

SOPHIE’s legacy is loud, fast, and unyielding. “Exhilarate” is a race that doesn’t end, a beat that refuses to fade.

Even as she’s gone, SOPHIE keeps pushing the tempo, daring us to keep pace.

And as the last notes echo, we’re left with nothing but the sound of our own breath, the rush of adrenaline, and the echoes of a ride that we’ll never forget.

About That Other Ride: A Brief Mention of Charli XCX’s Tribute

Charli XCX’s So I might offer a moment of reflection—her tribute to SOPHIE carries the weight of regret and unspoken words. But SOPHIE wasn’t about slowing down.

“Exhilarate” is a full-throttle sprint, a reminder that SOPHIE was always a few steps ahead, blazing a trail that the rest of us are still trying to catch up to.

Final Lap: Unrelenting Energy

“Exhilarate” is captivating, holding onto your attention with an unbreakable grip. SOPHIE’s world was always a little faster, a little louder, and a lot more thrilling.

And as the track fades, it leaves you with the desire to hit repeat, to chase that feeling one more time.

SOPHIE Exhilarate Lyrics

Intro
Ayo, ayo (Ah)
Ayo, yeah, ah (Ah)
Ayo, ayo (Yeah)
Yeah, yeah

Verse 1
I spend all my moments
Caught in the middle
Up way too high
Or under the water
Testing my luck
Or trying to be civil, I

Refrain
Got my foot on the gas, got my foot on the gas
I be goin’ way too fast for myself
Got my foot on the gas, got my foot on the gas
I be goin’ way too fast for myself, yeah

Pre-Chorus
Mama said take my time, got lost in the lies
And if it’s got worth, then work on it
She said, “Take your time, don’t change your mind
If it’s got worth, then work on it”
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Intro
Ayo, ayo (Ah)
Ayo, yeah, ah (Ah)
Ayo, ayo (Yeah)
Yeah, yeah

Verse 1
I spend all my moments
Caught in the middle
Up way too high
Or under the water
Testing my luck
Or trying to be civil, I

Refrain
Got my foot on the gas, got my foot on the gas
I be goin’ way too fast for myself
Got my foot on the gas, got my foot on the gas
I be goin’ way too fast for myself, yeah

Chorus
Got my foot on the gas, got my foot on the gas
I be goin’ way too fast for myself, I
Got my foot on the gas, got my foot on the gas
And I won’t stop for no one, I won’t stop for no one else, nah

Post-Chorus
Exhilarate, exhilarate (Oh-eh, oh-ah)
Swervin’ on ’em (Oh-eh, oh-ah)
I’m swervin’ (Oh-eh, oh-ah)
Swervin’ on ’em (Oh-eh, oh-ah)