2022 saw the release of Momma’s ‘Household Name’ – an indie rock triumph, steeped in grunge and the alternative sounds booming in that strange post-COVID limbo. After countless support slots with the likes of indie gods Weezer, Alex G, and The Marías, Momma have returned with their fourth album, ‘Welcome to My Blue Sky’. A compelling release, listening to it will have you hanging on every word, totally wrapped up in the world created by songwriters Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten.
The album’s tone is set in the first track ‘Sincerely’, a fuzzy, audio-centric track, with the last, lingering lyrics —“No return address / I love you to death / But I’m outside the door” — hinting at moving on. Between ‘Sincerely’ and the final track ‘My Old Street’, which touches on the deception of nostalgia’s comfort, you are taken on journeys of aching longing in ‘Rodeo’ and ‘Bottle Blonde’, a more bubblegum-toned track that plays like a mentoring session to their younger selves.
‘Welcome To My Blue Sky’, like snippets of a road trip home movie, tells its own story of heartache, infidelity, romance, and the perils and romance of being in your 20s. Momma continues to roll down their highway, carrying with them the people and places that informed their lives up to this point.
Momma will also embark on the festival circuit this summer. They have slots playing Outbreak Festival in London and Manchester, and Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Porto. On top of an album release, Momma are making their way through a North American tour. Amid their whirlwind, Clash chatted with Momma to talk influences, nostalgia, touring, and more.
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Your album ‘Welcome To My Blue Sky’ Has been out for over two weeks. Congrats on the release! What has its reception been like?
Overall, it’s been great! It’s awesome to see every song on the record get love in one way or another.
Compared to your last release, ‘Household Name’, your sound has evolved into more indie-pop, maintaining elements of rock. Who were some of your influences whilst making this record?
In our opinion, every great rock band writes great pop songs. There’s a lot of bands that don’t necessarily fall under the category of pop that still make “pop” songs: Nirvana, The Breeders, The Cure, etc. It just feels kind of funny hearing the label of “indie-pop,” because we also feel like “Household Name” has songs that could be classified as pop, too. But, while we were making this record we were listening to a variety of artists like Hovvdy, Alex G, Khaki King.
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The music video for ‘Welcome to My Blue Sky’ is filled with nostalgia – rusty highway signs, shots of the open road, snapshots of family life. What was the inspiration behind this video? How does it sum up the song?
We’ve been taking these annual trips to Yerington, NV since we were teenagers, and we thought that that town kind of encapsulates the feeling of that song. Being in Yerington feels very much like being on the road. It’s dreamy, it’s sleepy, it’s lonesome, but it’s still full of community and support.
You have previously talked about how this album signifies a shift in your personal lives, you can hear this in the lyrics of songs like ‘My Old Street’. How does it feel to be vulnerable with listeners?
It definitely feels like we have been hiding under this veil of storytelling and imagery for pretty much our entire discography, so being able to open up and get personal feels really great.
There is a lot of great storytelling in this album. How was the process of settling on a tracklist?
If you listen to the album front to back, it tells its own story and is pretty much chronological in terms of the way things happened. We were definitely mindful of how the album flowed, but it kind of just worked out that the sequence that was best for the songs was also the sequence that was best for the storytelling.
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The album artwork is very cool, it’s like a cyanotype print, and the “Momma” charm is a great touch. What was the idea behind this artwork? Who made it?
We originally had another idea that didn’t pan out, but Allegra had the idea of using blue and doing something with hands. Etta ended up coming up with the idea for the pinky promise, and it very much just represents our bond. That bond is what made this album possible. Aron’s sister, Daria Kobayashi-Ritch, took the picture and processed it, and Etta did all of the graphic design for the record.
You have toured alongside many amazing artists – Alex G, Weezer, and The Marias. What is
something you’ve learned from these artists that you have incorporated into Momma?
Hard work over a long period of time really pays off, and being nice goes a really long way.
You have quite a lengthy tour coming up over the next couple of months. What are some songs from ‘Welcome To My Blue Sky’ that you’re excited to play for audiences?
Our favourites are ‘How To Breathe’, and ‘New Friend’.
What venues and cities are you excited to play?
Allegra’s favorite leg of the tour so far have been the three shows in Texas, as well as the Los Angeles show. Etta’s favorites have been Nashville, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. We’re really excited to play Kilby Block Party this year too!
Lastly, what else is in store in 2025 for Momma?
Tour, tour, tour, tour, tour… And maybe some B-Sides!
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Catch Momma at Outbreak London on June 13th in Victoria Park, London.
Words: Margot Macleod
Photo Credit: Daria Kobayashi Ritch
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