Album Review: ‘Nostalgia’ by Mother Mother

Mother Mother is an indie rock band based in British Columbia, Canada. The group is composed of vocalist and guitarist Ryan Guldemond, keyboardists and vocalists Jasmin Parkin and Molly Guldemond, drummer Ali Siadat, and bassist Jeremy Page. They’ve just released their tenth album Nostalgia on June 6, celebrating their milestone of 20 years playing and producing songs. 

The album itself focuses on the aspects of growth, guilt, love, and relationships existing outside of societal conventions. It also touches upon glimpses of the band’s personal history, all packed into 12 songs, both old and new.

The track switches back-and-forth in impression, with songs slow and somber like “Love to Death” and “Station Wagon” juxtaposed with upbeat and energetic songs like “Make Believe” and “ON AND ON (Song for Jasmin).” They do this through masterful utilization of instruments. Notably, by swapping between electric and acoustic guitar. “To Regret,” the last song in the track, leaves listeners off with a quiet finale. The instrumental is a lone keyboard accompanied by soft vocals.

The album also mixes in the personal amongst the conceptual. Songs such as “ON AND ON (Song for Jasmin)” and “Better of Me” detail Guldemond and Parkin’s past romantic relationship and current friendship, with the former being (same as above) Guldemond’s tribute to fellow vocalist Parkin and the latter being her response. The lyrics further delve into what was perhaps the nature of their past romantic relationship and how it led to a breakup, with Parkin reflecting on her faults and regrets.

Other songs, such as “Me & You” and “Mano a Mano” have yet to be confirmed in any way pertaining to a band member or the band as a whole personally. Nevertheless, both of these kinds of sounds manage to co-exist in one track. This is mostly due to the conceptual songs focusing on ideas rarely sung of. An example of this is the album’s introductory song, “Love to Death,” about the negative side of love and how it destroys as much as it builds up.

Another example would be “Namaste,” Nostalgia’s sixth song. It is about how pain is an immutable part of life we shouldn’t run from in order to better grow as people. The lyrics reference the practices of asceticism and meditation, positing them as an attempt to escape pain and discomfort. Alongside this the singers refute this attempt and choose to embrace said pain, finding value in it.

Of course, we couldn’t forget about the album’s namesake, “Nostalgia.” It self-references through its idealization and lamentation of the past gone by. It ties these separate and diverse concepts together as both an expression of the band’s development, personal and musically, as well as the universal concept of growing up and looking back to where you started from.

A fun little tidbit for veteran fans are the references to older songs sprinkled within song lyrics throughout the album. “FINGER” in and of itself being a reference to a song historically performed but never officially released until now, with its own music video to boot.

Mother Mother’s Nostalgia album as a whole speaks of interesting and unconventional topics not regularly sung of. It’s a roller-coaster of emotions from sobering and gentle to rough and dynamic. And, it provides knowledgeable fans with references to older songs within the band’s discography. A true celebration and testament to Mother Mother’s sound and identity as a band, Nostalgia is definitely worth a listen.