Bottle Blonde After the breakthrough success of Household Name, indie rock band Momma have returned with their highly anticipated fourth record called Welcome To My Blue Sky. The new album was produced by Aron Kobayashi Ritch, who also contributed on bass, and showcases the rapid improvements in Momma’s already-dynamic sound. The vibrant feelings come oozing through the speakers early on in vulnerable songs like the opening track of “Sincerely” that helps set the tone for the rest of the album. Led by the two primary songwriters/vocalists/guitarists in Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten, Momma tighten up their songwriting while still presenting songs that are both catchy and relevant. Momma shared in a recent interview that Welcome to My Blue Sky is “an open letter to those who have come in and out of our lives,” and this particular letter is well-received and invites wider audiences to sing along to every lyric and connect with this band on a deeper level.
After the soft tones of the opening song of “Sincerely”, Momma crank into a new gear with “I Want You (Fever)” that features a cool opening guitar riff that provides the right canvas for the band to paint their unique brand of indie rock over. The repetitious chorus of, “Pick up and leave her / I want you, fever” reverberates in your headspace long after the song has wrapped, as the band uses all of their extensive touring and life experience to craft a key single in the set. “Rodeo” follows the raucous track with some great drumming by Preston Fulks, while Etta and Allegra carefully trade back and forth vocals, and many times, harmonize on key sections of the track to showcase their great chemistry together.
”Stay All Summer” recalls the young recklessness of summer love and relationships as Momma shares in the lyrics, “I would stall and stay all summer, babe / If you want me to / They might say that it’s all for nothing / But we don’t think that’s true / So I’m playing with the thought / Of calling it quits / Baby we could take a shot / Let’s jump right in / C’mon don’t you wanna talk / Till 3 am / We can put it on pause / Till I see you again.” The song has a great overall vibe to it, and reminds me of early Weezer paired with the picturesque personal storytelling of bands like Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy.
”New Friend” gets deeper into the concept of quick flings and fleeting relationships, as Etta shares, “Silver Spring / We said it was just a fling / Fantasy / Then back to reality.” The band are wise beyond their years as they explain the intricacies of meeting new people on the road. “How To Breathe” takes a bit of a detour from the straight-forward rocking approach found on the earlier material, with more of an atmospheric mid-tempo song that features breathy vocals that mesh well with the lyrics on the chorus of, “She taught my body how to breathe.”
”Last Kiss” picks the tempo right back up to a comfortable setting with some great guitar work between Etta and Allegra over fuzz pedals in a manner similar to Smashing Pumpkins, while having the grit and gig-ready approach of Momma down to their core. The instrumental breakdown in the bridge highlights the band’s great chemistry and improved musicianship, while providing a key opportunity for their fans to lose their minds in the pit at shows. “Bottle Blonde” is another single that was released prior to Welcome To My Blue Sky, and feels like a great encapsulation of the stylistic choices made all over this great album. The repetitious, wailing guitar riff in between the verses advances the song steadily towards the finish line, while simultaneously pulling on all the right heartstrings.
”Ohio All The Time” was the first track to be released from the set, and features a great elevated pre-chorus of “Heard a whisper / ‘He wants to kiss her’ / And I wanna know what it’s like / It’s like, an empty bottle / And now my mouths full / Ohio, you have me tonight.” The band gushes over their love of the state, as they make key connections to the people who live there, and also lean into their touring experiences.
The title track is a starry-eyed ballad about wanting to be with that person who makes you feel most whole, while noticing something feels oddly out of place, as Momma shares on the chorus of, “I stopped to talk like we always do / But something’s off / Swear it’s me not you / It’s not your fault cause I always knew / This blue sky won’t bring me back to you.” The short ballad of “Take Me With You” features an ultra-vulnerable opening line of “If I’m being honest / I never felt so high / Than when I stumbled into your arms that night,” as Momma dive head first into discussing the trials and tribulations of love.
This all sets the stage for the closer of “My Old Street” that features vivid lyrics of the early days of their childhood and coming to terms with the flood of memories that happen when returning to where your life began. The final lyrics of “My old street / Where you can bury me / I hear it scream / It wants to bury me,” grips with the concept of mortality and the strange feeling of our final moments in this world.
Welcome To My Blue Sky in many ways is an exploration of the Momma’s experiences of touring extensively in 2022, the relationships they made along their journey, while still further advancing their outlook of their personal lives. Momma have undoubtedly made their strongest and most cohesive work to date on this album that is sure to be in my regular record rotation for the foreseeable future. If Household Name was the indication that Momma was a band to be taken seriously, Welcome To My Blue Sky shows they are out for world domination. Momma just may achieve it.