I first stumbled onto Momma from an article about them that had a headline calling them "Wet Leg approved." Apparently my Wet Leg fandom extends to checking out bands they like, because I quickly checked them out and became a fan of their 2020 album Two of Me. Now, the Brooklyn band is back with new music. "Speeding 72" is going to be loved by fans of Wet Leg. It has a lot of that same indie rock versus pop sound, but this is hardly a Wet Leg sound alike. "Speeding 72" is a little more pure pop, but with tons of guitar based indie rock vibes and even some punk edge. The song starts off light and breezy, and as it goes on it adds more and more guitar and rock to it. It's almost like Momma decided to trick pop fans into liking a rock song. And for some indie rock cred, they even name check Pavement's "Gold Soundz."
The band says of their new song:
“‘Speeding 72’ is probably the most collaboratively written song on the new record. We wanted it to be the sort of summertime anthem that you can turn on during a drive to impress your crush,” explains the band. “The most important part of the production was setting the right mood to transport the listener. The song starts with Aron getting into his car (which is featured on the album cover), and then turning on the ignition.”
You can watch the video for "Speeding 72" below. Household Name is due out July 1 on Polyvinyl, and can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on Momma, check out their Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
05/06 - Leeds, UK @ Headrow House %
05/07 - Glasgow, UK @ Road To The Great Escape
05/10 - London, UK @ Brixton Windmill
05/12 - Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
05/13 - Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
05/14 - Manchester, UK @ YES
08/12 - Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall !
08/16 - New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place !
08/17 - Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony !
08/19 - Richmond, VA @ The National !
08/20 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa !
08/21 - Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre !
08/23 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theater !
08/24 - Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor !
08/26 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn !
08/27 - Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine !
08/28 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall !
08/30 - Bloomington, IL @ The Castle Theatre !
08/31 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre !
09/02 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall !
09/03 - St Louis, MO @ The Pageant !
09/04 - Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre !
09/06 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre !
09/07 - Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre !
09/09 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore !
09/12 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #
09/13 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground #
09/14 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake #
09/16 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village #
09/17 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club #
09/20 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza %
09/21 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios %
09/23 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop %
09/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo %
09/25 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room %
09/27 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar %
09/30 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk - Indoors ^
10/01 - Dallas, TX @ Three Links ^
10/02 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall - Upstairs ^
10/04 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl ^
10/07 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's #
10/08 - New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg #
Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it. “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
Photo by Cecil Sykes Midnight Peg are an Edmonton, AB based band that are referred to as "madhouse punk." Their latest single, "Thirstland," is a just barely under control two minute burst of punk. You have guitar riffs that will make you think of At the Drive In, and somewhat spoken and yelled vocals which create a feeling of chaos throughout. This is a loud and angry track that is completely in your face. But, unlike most tracks this loud and punk based, "Thirstland" still keeps a sense of art in their music. Midnight Peg feel like a higher class of loud, angry punk rock. This one is great, with just enough of an emo undercurrent to make the song kind of melodic and almost palatable to a mainstream audience. You can listen to "Thirstland" below. Skinning is due out in October on Thousand Island Records. For more on Midnight Peg, check out the artist's website .
