Momma - "Bang Bang"

Photo by Ashley Zhang

If you loved the retro 90's sound of Momma's 2022 album Household Name as much as we did, you're going to be thrilled to hear they already have a new single. "Bang Bang" is a sonic and lyrical departure for the band. It's still very 90's influenced, but there's more of an electronic element to the song than we've heard from the band previously. There's kind of a more mainstream trip hop meets alt-rock thing going on here, giving "Bang Bang" a Sneaker Pimps meets Veruca Salt sound. It's also just a pure sex song with zero entendres involved, so get your Liz Phair comparisons ready. It's great to hear a newer band freshen up their sound so boldly, and you're going to love this one.

Allegra Weingarten says of her band's new song:

“We wanted to write something lyrically different than anything else we’d done – just super literal and crude. We shared it with Aron and he sent us back a new version with a lot of added extra production: drums, bass, synths, acoustic guitar, etc. It felt totally different and fresh. The finished song has a lot of classic Momma - heavy guitars and catchy melodies - but packaged in a different form. It feels immediate, like a whole new sound for the band.”

You can listen to "Bang Bang" below. The single is out now via Polyvinyl Records. For more on Momma, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song, including some on Weezer's Indie Rock Road Trip tour with Modest Mouse (and don't even get me started on how mad I am that particular leg isn't coming to New England...)

03/16 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street % SOLD OUT

03/17 - Glasgow, Scotland - SWG3 % SOLD OUT

03/18 - Manchester, England - O2 Ritz % SOLD OUT

03/20 - Leeds, England - Leeds University Stylus % SOLD OUT

03/21- Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms % SOLD OUT

03/22 - Bristol, England - SWX Bristol % SOLD OUT

03/23 - London, England - The Roundhouse SOLD OUT

03/25 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Tolhuistuin % SOLD OUT

03/26 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso %

03/28 - Antwerp, Belgium - TRIX %

03/30 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust %

03/31 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega %

04/01 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg %

04/03 - Munich, Germany - Ampere %

04/04 - Cologne, Germany - Gebaude 9 %

04/05 - Tourcoing, France - Le Grand Mix %

04/06 - Paris, France - Le Trabendo % SOLD OUT

04/13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy (Goldenvoice Presents April '23)

04/16 - Indio, CA - Coachella Music and Arts Festival

04/23 - Indio, CA - Coachella Music and Arts Festival

05/12 - 5/14 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court Block Party

06/04 - Huntsville, AL - The Orion Amphitheater #

06/06 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory #

06/08 - Del Valle, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater #

06/10 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre #

06/11 - Bonner Springs, KS - Azura Amphitheater # 

06/13 - Minneapolis, MN - The Armory #

06/14 - Madison, WI - Breese Stevens Field #

06/16 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center #

06/18 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre #

07/21 - Seattle, WA @ Capitol Hill Block Party

% Supporting Alex G

# Supporting Weezer w/ Modest Mouse

Live Shows: Momma and waveform*, Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA 9/12/22

Photo by Sophie Hur

I first got my ticket to see Momma way back in April. Since then, September has been absolutely packed with killer shows. I'm not sure if it's just bands returning to Boston along with the college kids or a leftover tradition from hitting New England when they played New York for CMJ, but that's just the way it always is in Boston in September. I was questioning my choice since a lot of these shows were bands I already had an longer established fandom for. After seeing Momma play live, I definitely don't regret my decision.

Earlier this week I saw Vanyaland compare Momma to Juliana Hatfield and The Smashing Pumpkins, and that might be the most fitting possible comparison. On the first night of their headlining tour, Momma displayed a stardom much bigger than they are currently. You just knew you were watching a band destined for great things. Songs like "Rockstar" and "Speeding 72" are already classics, especially with their fans. This is a band that wears their 90's influences on their sleeve, and for those of us that lived through that decade, hearing a new take on our teen years is quite welcome. They even busted out a cover of The Breeders' "Divine Hammer," which I'm not sure if the quite young crowd recognized.

My only complaint of their set is that I wish the microphones were turned up a bit more. Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten's vocals are the highlight of their music. While their barely above a whisper vocals are perfect on their album, live they got drowned out a but too much, especially on a song like "Rockstar."

waveform* opened, and this is a band with huge promise. Another band that obviously worships the 90's, they even did the Sebadoh trade off instruments thing throughout the set. They leaned into the slacker sound just a bit too much. They were good, but when they cranked up their sound even the teeniest notch, they were absolutely fantastic. At one point they played the opening riff of Momma's "Medicine," to which the crowd responded quite well. The members of Momma yelled at them to play the whole thing from the side of the stage, but they didn't know the whole song. Keep an eye on these guys.

First Listen: New Releases and More Missed Music for 8 July 2022

Artist: Laura Veirs
Album: Found Light
Quick Thoughts: It's been a little while since the last album from Laura Veirs, and this latest effort provides more of the great indie songwriting Laura Veirs is so good at. This album retains some of the jagged edges we've come to expect while retaining the unique melodic structures that I fell for way back in the Carbon Glacier era. If you're a fan, you don't want to miss this. If you are new, this is as good a place as any to start out.
Songs of Note: "Time Will Show You," "Winter Windows"

Artist: The Deslondes
Album: Ways & Means
Quick Thoughts: Yes, we love The Deslondes here, and yes, this album is a great demonstration of why. This is great roots record with solid songwriting and it is both a serious effort and doesn't take itself too too seriously. The delivery of the whole package sets this apart, and I just found more and more to love during its runtime. Don't ignore this one.
Songs of Note: "Good to Go," "South Dakota Wild One," "Howl at the Moon," "Wild Eden"

Artist: Spiral Stairs
Album: Medley Attack
Quick Thoughts: The new album from the Pavement side project is the sort of accessible indie rock that we don't hear as often anymore. Pavement is a nostalgia act in a lot of ways for people around our age, and this record is different enough (as most of Scott Kannberg's work shows) without losing its indie credibility. I enjoyed this quite a bit, and you might, too.
Songs of Note: "Too Late," "Time = Cuz"

Artist: Viagra Boys
Album: Cave World
Quick Thoughts: We tripped up on Viagra Boys with their previous album and the truly hilarious "Sports." This new album definitely doesn't let up, and perhaps turns the snark up to 11 on a lot of songs, but it's a pretty addictive listen. The slurred delivery, the crunchy guitars, the whole package is really a fun listen that's much better than the name of the band might indicate. Put this into your rotation.
Songs of Note: "Baby Criminal," "Punk Rock Loser," "The Cognitive Trade-Off Hypothesis," "Ain't No Thief," "Return to Monke"

Artist: Momma
Album: Household Name
Quick Thoughts: I missed this one last week and regret it, because, for all my love of that 1990s alt-rock sound, I keep tripping up on new acts that are perfecting it, like Momma. Household Name is a masterclass in this type of effort, and some of the songs in particular are among the best of the year. Do not hesitate, just give this a listen.
Songs of Note: "Lucky," "Brave"

Artist: Katie Bejsiuk
Album: The Woman on the Moon
Quick Thoughts: A shout-out for this album, a proper solo debut from Free Cake for Every Creature's chief singer and songwriter. If you were a fan of that act before, with its quiet lo-fi approach, you'll find plenty to love with this album as well. Just a gorgeous, and oftentimes heartbreaking, listen that shouldn't be missed.
Songs of Note: "Feels Right," "Tourmaline," "Olive, NY," "Nightloop"

Of note:

* Anna Butterss - Activities (I struggle with jazzy/jazz-adjacent music, but liked this quite a bit.)
* renforshort - dear amelia (Excellent pop album.)
* Cave States - Liminal
* Apollo Brown - This Must Be the Place
* Wu-Lu - LOGGERHEAD
* Mush - Down Tools
* Caterina Barbieri - Spirit Exit
* Ead Wood - People, Stories, World Etc
* Katy J Pearson - Sound of the Morning
* NoSo - Stay Proud of Me
* Metric - Formentera
* Sniffany and The Nits - The Unscratchable Itch

EPs:

* PACKS - WOAH
* Paul Jacobs - 185 on the Corner
* Wet - Pink Room
* Rapport - Floating Through the Wonderwave
* Fiver - Soundtrack to a More Radiant Sphere: The Joe Wallace Mixtape
* Royksopp - Profound Mysteries Remixes
* Ricky Desktop and Bobby Sasquatch - The Sax Beats EP, Volume 2

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Kid Cudi - The Boy Who Flew to the Moon (Vol. 1) (A greatest hits package.)

* "Pearl Jam - Gigaton (Tour Edition)
Also out:

* Delicate Steve - After Hours
* Titus Bank - Hopeless and Romantic
* Sally Decker and Briana Marela - Small Tremble in Slow Motion
* Bad Breeding - Human Capital

Momma - "Motorbike"

Photo by Sophie Hur

Brooklyn's Momma are releasing their new album Friday and have released one last single in case we just can't wait. (We can't.) "Motorbike" shows off everything we love about Momma. It's a song steeped in 90's alt-rock and power pop, with this one leaning a little bit more into modern pop-rock than previous singles have. It's fuzzy guitars, vocals that sound like Shirley Manson going slacker, and impossibly catchy everything with huge choruses. Momma's upcoming album has Album of the Year contender written all over it, so you're going to want to jump on this one ASAP.

Allegra Weingarten says of her band's new song:

“I wrote this song about a boy I had a crush on who really wanted nothing to do with me. The song is basically just fantasy—even though it’s about a real person, it’s also about how we can make up elaborate ideas of who other people are in our heads, and get so caught up in these fake scenarios that they kind of end up feeling real. I wanted the song to feel like you’re escaping something, because my daydreams about this boy and his motorcycle were definitely an escape from my life at the time.”

You can watch the video for "Motorbike" below. Household Name is due out on Polyvinyl Record Co on July 1. For more on Momma, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

08/12 - Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall !

08/13 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground !

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 @ Haw River Ballroom !

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 #

09/14 - 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 #

! w/ Snail Mail

# w/ waveform*

% w/ Pardoner 

^ w/ teethe

Momma - "Lucky"

Photo by Sophie Hur

Brooklyn's Momma have released a single that is going to be intensely nostalgic for those of us in our early to mid-forties. "Lucky" has that mid-90's alt-rock power pop sound that was all the rage then. Think bands like Weezer and Veruca Salt. It's all crunchy guitars and slacker solos. It's the kind of song that is deceptively heavy even though it's mid-tempo but filled with dreamy pop hooks. Plus, never before has anyone sung in a 90's slacker style as well as Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten do here. This song is much more poppy than we would have ever admitted in 1995, but this would have gone straight to the Buzz Bin back in the day.

Etta Friedman says of the new song:

“I wrote it after my significant other and I had to spend an unknown amount of time apart from each other on opposite sides of the country. I wanted it to feel anthemic, like a sappy and sentimental love song, but I still wanted to speak on how exciting it feels to know you found true treasure with someone you are in love with.” 

You can watch the video for "Lucky" below. Household Name is due out July 1 on Polyvinyl Record Co. and Lucky Number Music. The album can be pre-ordered and pre-saved here. For more on Momma, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

08/12 - Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall !

08/13 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground !

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 #

09/14 - 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 #

! w/ Snail Mail

# w/ waveform*

% w/ Pardoner 

^ w/ teethe

Momma - "Speeding 72"

Photo by Sophie Hur

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 #

% w/ Illuminati Hotties 

! w/ Snail Mail

# w/ waveform*

% w/ Pardoner 

^ w/ teethe