Words: Oliver Shasha | Header Image: Kyle Cunjak
Arriving on the scene around 5 years ago, New Brunswick triad Motherhood have endured their time as band in a tyrannic conflict with everything expected and everything conventional that comes with the conceiving of modern music. Throughout their discography, Motherhood pick and choose from the far and beyond of the Indie Rock spectrum. Early accomplishments such as ‘Breed’ and ‘Twosies’ explore the abrasive side of the rock genre, with several sarcastic segments contrasting the possessive dread, forever existent beneath the skin of this Jekyll and Hyde three piece. Their latest track ‘Bird Chirp’ is no different.
Reminiscent in the sparseness and the spontaneity of the second Lemon Twigs record, ‘Bird Chirp’ takes a profusely varied structure and projects each part like the next scene in a theatre performance. Other comparisons of Motherhood’s symphonic writing style include the ever-relevant ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, as well as Conan Mockasin’s terrifyingly stunning ‘Forever Dolphin Love’. The video to ‘Pick of the Plugs’ even pays homage to the Queen’s untouchable 6 minute epic, drawing several visual comparisons to the timeless video.
During ‘Bird Chirp’, Motherhood articulately converge between slacker vocal takes and sardonic soloing, but aside from these quite vague reflections there really aren’t any recurring themes or styles throughout. As noted earlier, Motherhood’s essence is derived from the spontaneity of the music. If you’re feeling emotionally disorientated or like a blank canvas, ready to indulge and immerse in whatever is thrown in your direction…what’s better than a band whose structuring will massage your ear drums at the best of times, whilst making your shit your pants with complete vigour at the worst?
The idiosyncratic changes are about as predictable as an M. Night Shyamalan blockbuster. So providing they hold more artistic credibility than the man who put his name to The Happening, (to divulge quickly, DO NOT watch that film), Motherhood are sure to be one of the most interesting acts within the Indie genre.
Listen to ‘Bird Chirp’ here: