As Soot Sprite, Elise Cook has been wearing her heart on her sleeve since 2018. In May of 2025, Cook and her band released their long-awaited debut album Wield Your Hope Like a Weapon with Specialist Subject Record. It’s an essential indie-rock record about the need for compassion and empathy in a time of global and personal crisis.
Here, Elise, Sam and Sean share some of their influences and inspirations behind the record, the things that kept them going while the project took shape, while also keeping full-time jobs. They touch on music, books, films and family – some of which come through clearly in the themes and sound of the themes and sound of the new record, including the inspiration for the name of the band.
Many thanks to the trio for taking the time to put this together.
Elise Cook – vocals/guitar
Hope In The Dark by Rebecca Solnit
I found this book through a quote that ended up inspiring much of the theme of the record. It’s about hope and its role in activism and it’s a really inspiring read. The quote that hooked me was:
“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency”
Pupdates
I missed my dog so dreadfully while I was away, my partner would send at least one picture or video of Yoshi a day and it both helped and made it simultaneously worse!
Studio Ghibli
Behind all of the obvious beauty, the storylines almost always have had a strong female lead, and there are themes of humanity’s impact on the planet, on unionisation of the workforce and leading with empathy. A lot of ethos I saw in my own life I see reflected in Miyazakis work and I think everyone feels just a little more courageous for watching them.
SAM COTHER – drums/vocals
Ovlov
I Discovered Ovlov during late 2023 and became an obsession that I haven’t kicked ever since. Their album Buds. was a major influence on me during the recording of our album as their personal take of the indie rock and shoegaze blend is so alluring.
My partner & my friends
Right before recording the album, I was just coming out of an incredibly stressful period in my life where I felt like I didn’t have ownership over my day-to-day. Through that time, my partner really did her best to support me and hold my hand through the process of getting better. Then when I came into the studio to record the album, I just became so grateful to know the people I do. The rest of the band are really some of my closest friends and being together to make an album that resonated so deeply with me was an experience I won’t forget for a long time.
An oat flat white with a bit of brown sugar
…shit bangs for real
SEAN MARINER – bass
Transatlanticism
Since its release in 2003 this is an album I’ve come back to countless times for countless reasons. As with the other things I’ve mentioned I’d say the biggest reason for picking this album is comfort. In addition to that Nick Harmer’s bass-playing has been a consistent draw for me. As with a lot of bands from that time the tone was just a perfect combination of crunchy and smooth and played with both power and subtlety to fit the songs. Never showy but sometimes interesting is something I strive for in my playing (which can be both freeing and stressful at times).
You can probably pick out my homage to Nick and his incredibly delicate yet impactful playing in one of the songs.
Hot drinks
I’ve always associated hot drinks with rest, relaxation, or just ‘a break’. I love switching off and preparing coffee for people (I have previously brought a borrowed la marzocco espresso machine to a session but even a dirty, old, hard water stained cafetiere will do). For myself, I love breakfast tea with milk and one sugar as it perfectly encapsulates visits with my grandparents as a child and seeing my parents now.
Fruit
Fruit is a mainstay on my list for festivals, weekenders, holidays, and now both on tour and during recording. Sessions tend to ebb and flow in many ways and can result in general exhaustion and a lack of self-care; much like music festivals. Whether it’s good for me or not I always make sure I eat lots of fruit so I can at least pretend I’m doing a good job of looking after myself despite a lack of appetite or time for any real sustenance.
About Soot Sprite
Since the release of their debut single in 2018, Soot Sprite has grown from a one-woman lo-fi bedroom pop project to a fully-fledged touring alt-indie shoegaze outfit.
Fresh from opening for Sweet Pill on their recent UK tour, Soot Sprite are poised for their biggest year yet. Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon is their most ambitious and sonically expansive record to date – a call to arms and a testament to the power of hope in the face of darkness.
Review: Wield Your Hope Like a Weapon
Listen/buy: Wield Your Hope Like a Weapon
What’s Your Backstory?
“The Backstory” is a feature where artists share the things that shaped them. I’d love to hear what’s influenced you and your work. If you’d like to share your own story, reach out.
