Quirky Canadian indie pop group Mother Mother are back, and they’ve brought with them the mother of all ear-worms.
The Vancouver-based band’s last album, Oh My Heart, was quite a success in their home country when it was released in 2008, rated in the top five best overall albums on iTunes Canada.
Their new album, Eureka, was released on March 15th and has already cemented the band’s success in Canada, reaching number eight on the albums chart. The first single, out on Monday (April 4), is a double A-side containing the tracks “The Stand” and “Simply Simple”.
The first thing that jumps out at you when you listen to any record by Mother Mother is the male and female harmonies threaded throughout their songs.
Front-man Ryan Guldemond, his sister Molly and keyboardist Jasmin Parkin’s vocals are woven together in an utterly infectious way; Ryan’s distinctive voice and style is softened and perfectly complemented by the female singers.
The lead single, “The Stand”, uses the combination slightly differently. The females sing in harmony and are answered by Ryan in a Weezer-esque take on pop punk hip-hop. The whole thing is accompanied by one of the most ear-tunnelling and addictive backings I’ve heard in recent years.
It’s one of those songs that works its way into your ears and implants itself rigidly. It is sheer pop at its best; it knows what it is and doesn’t try to be anything other than fun, funky and cool.
“Simply Simple” isn’t as good because it’s simply not as fun. It’s still a catchy pop piece containing some of the elements that make “The Stand” work so well, but it has a much more sombre, serious tone. It’s not a bad song, but if it weren’t for the gorgeously unique harmonies, it’d fall into the pit of identikit pop-rock records we’re already flooded with.
It’s just generic, and when the band’s sound works because it’s idiosyncratic and quirky, that’s not a good thing. It’s listenable but not memorable.
Overall this double A-side is good, infectious pop. Even the weaker track is sure to get stuck in your head for a while.
The Stand/Simply Simple is released on April 4th through Last Gang Records.
Verdict:
The Stand – 4/5
Simply Simple – 3/5
Michael Moran