Featured image by Matthew James-Wilson. Other photos by Rachel Filler.
Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten’s chance encounter when they attended high school together was easily godsent, as their friendship has lasted the test of time. Due to their undeniable connection, the two began to create music together, amounting in what we know as Momma today.
In their early days, the pair dominated LA’s DIY scene, largely due to their home-grown, genuine nature and entrancing tunes. Among many other accomplishments, this amounted to them playing gigs alongside fellow local heavyweights such as Teeks (aka Austin Anderson of Slow Hollows) and the solo projects of both Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad of Girlpool.
When Friedman and Weingarten split once they went off to college, despite the distance that period presented, the two never slowed down, nor did said distance put a damper on their creative endeavors. Over that time period, the two girls spent time working on their own material, which eventually amalgamated in Momma’s debut LP, Interloper (2018).
Much of Momma’s success, their writing and musical prowess, stems from Friedman and Weingarten’s flexibility and ability to communicate — as that album revealed. Each track they release, with that considered, noticeably contains a piece of each of them; a sonic representation of their unbreakable bond.
Now transformed into a four piece (with the additions of drummer Zach Capitti-Fenton, bassist Sebastian Jones, and producer Aron Kobayashi Ritch), Momma are just as strong — and are creating just as infectious content — as ever. Most recently, their sophomore record, Two of Me, came out on June 5 (via Danger Collective Records): it’s an introspective, reverb-filled, grunge rock triumph, again, capitalizing on Friedman and Weingarten’s partnership.
Before the record’s release, we had the chance to speak with Friedman and Allegra over e-mail about how their quarantine is going, how Two of Me came to be, and the concept behind the record.
For anyone who has yet to know you, how would you describe Momma?
Friendly 🙂 (idk)
Of your discography thus far, which tracks would you describe as quintessential “Momma,” or tracks that anyone who wishes to get to know you guys better should check out?
“Apollo,” “Highway,” or “Work” in terms of previous releases, and “Habitat” in terms of current singles.
Momma really came together due to the amazing relationship between you two, Allegra and Etta, and that relationship has been elemental in Momma’s growth. Noting that the two of you have been working together for so long and have had to endure being separated for college, how have band dynamics changed for the better or worse (for example, considering the contributions of Zach, Aron, and Sebastian)?
Once we started playing with Zach, it was immediately like adding the perfect third to the group. All three of us have pretty similar taste in music and love to learn from each other, and I think that helped us realize that we could collaborate well in terms of song structure and tones. Being able to record with Zach, Aron, and Sebastian has really kind of sealed the deal in terms of Momma’s maturity with this next album. We learned a lot of patience in terms of the recording process and the five of us fed off of each other really well.
Your second record, Two of Me, came out June 5, which must be really exciting! You announced this record shortly before quarantine was really set into place (at least in the US) and I’m sure you didn’t plan to release it in the midst of a pandemic either. How had the current climate changed things in regard to the release process? What would you have wanted to do differently?
It is definitely an inopportune time to release the album amidst the pandemic. We wish it wasn’t happening right now, like most everyone. Touring immediately after the release was something that we were looking forward to, but to be more optimistic about it all, the pandemic might be able to help us out a bit in terms of concept. We have been trying to stay productive through this time: sinking our teeth into new albums or bands that we find and sharing them with each other. And due to the fact that this album is so concept heavy, the abundance of time present might allow the listener to dive a bit deeper into our intentions with the characters and storylines featured in Two of Me.
As Allegra described regarding the album’s title, it came from the feeling that, for the two of you (Allegra and Etta), being alone together is “like being alone with myself.” Thematically, how does this record explore that concept/relationship?
What we discovered through talking about the album more and more is that the record deals a lot with duality within oneself. The presence of both good and evil within an individual and the handling of one’s conscious and subconscious. The record is basically about learning how to deal with both of those energies present within oneself. Deciding whether to embrace both “the good and the bad,” for example, or whether to permanently subject yourself to one of the two. It is ultimately up to the listener to relate to and decipher for themselves.
Continuing on that same idea, how would you describe this record’s general theme aside from that? (I was also curious if you could describe The Bug House and what that means in relation to the record’s story!)
The Bug House is like a purgatory that we came up with. The cast of characters mentioned in the album get sent to, and get absorbed by, The Bug House by doing something that plays to their darker side—maybe that is committing a crime or going against their own moral code. This all further plays into our concept of accepting the duality within oneself for better or for worse: committing yourself to your darker side or embracing that that is a part of you.
Sound-wise, on this record and in general, are you guys inspired by anyone in particular? If you guys were to experiment sonically, apart from Momma’s developed sound and aesthetic, what kinds of risks would you be interested in taking in the future/do you take on this upcoming record?
Love this question. For Two of Me we brought in examples of different artists we are inspired by depending on which track we were recording that day. For example, we used songs from Stereolab as inspiration for our song “Stringers” on the new release, and our producer, Aron, brought us certain examples like Seam, Big Thief’s UFOF, and Far for certain tracks. Ultimately we draw a lot of inspiration from Liz Phair, Pavement, Speedy Ortiz, Pinback, The Breeders, etc.
Personally, I [Etta] have been doing some deep diving into some ‘90s and ‘00s post-grunge and emo music, so maybe playing a bit with the song structure and tonality of bands like Jejune or Pohgoh.
I’ve [Allegra] been listening to some lighter, summery stuff, like The Sundays, The Cranberries, Cocteau Twins. I’d love for Momma to go in that direction—maybe simpler guitar riffs but more expanding melodies, and really light and airy songs as opposed to the darker stuff we’ve been doing.
Two of Me’s first single, “Double Dare,” expresses a sort of desire to get out and escape from one’s current environment and/or situation (and that idea is super relevant considering everyone is forced to stay put at the moment). What inspired you to write this track when you did?
Well, it was kind of written through following the storyline we wanted to tell, and the cast of characters we wanted to portray as the “Double Dare” part of a trilogy within the album (tracks 4, 5, and 6). All of those tracks could be seen as chapters following the same characters from different points of view. Ultimately, we were inspired to write a love story within the larger concept of the album and this is what came out of it. The separation of two lovers through one of them being sent to The Bug House. A lot of our visual inspiration came from some books we had been reading and our frequent trips to Yerington, Nevada.
I wanted to ask about “Biohazard,” too, which is one of my favorite singles. Lyrically, it expresses some cutting, dark imagery alongside some truly mesmerizing instrumentals. What is the story here?
The story follows an individual with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Of all of the tracks, “Biohazard” seems to be the one that expresses our concept of duality and internal war the most. We had heard a story a few years back about a man who was experiencing an episode similar to our character described in “Biohazard.” This man had done a horrible thing by kidnapping an innocent woman. Due to the fact that he was ebbing in and out of mania, the woman used her wits to tap into his manic sensitivities and ultimately she was able to convince the man to call an ambulance in order to rescue her from himself. Like the man mentioned, our character’s duality is expressed through being tethered between a moral code and a lust for insidious actions.
Of the currently unreleased tracks on the record, which are you most excited for fans to listen to?
We are both really hyped on “Stringers” 🙂
Aside from the excitement you must feel noting that Two of Me is almost out, the music industry is obviously in a really weird place right now, and things feel very uncertain. For right now, how are you guys doing? What have you been doing to try to keep cool? What have you guys been listening to whilst at home?
Etta: I’ve been kind of obsessed with Megan Thee Stallion’s album Suga. It’s definitely so fun to listen to when you need a pick-me-up. Also, I’ve recently joined Tumblr again which has given me a lot of band recommendations. Otherwise, I have been trying to read a lot and do fulfilling things for myself that doesn’t involve a screen. Painting, drawing, and writing music have proven themselves as amazing outlets.
Allegra: I’ve been listening to Frou Frou; it’s one of Imogen Heap’s side projects and it’s the best thing I’ve heard in so long. Every song is a brilliant pop song, but really atmospheric and romantic. I’ve also been watching Survivor ritually.
Past the pandemic, what are you guys looking forward to most? Being able to be together? Giving Two of Me a proper album celebration?
All of the above! But, first and foremost, we are very excited to start to tour again.
Listen to ‘Two of Me’ out now and keep up with Momma via their socials: Instagram, Spotify, Facebook, Bandcamp.
