Mothers attempt to exist in two places at once – both singular and collaborative, sprawling and concise, present and distant. Kristine Leschper, songwriter and founding member of the project, says that it is in the space between opposites that she finds herself. The multifaceted is, by nature, fragmented – each facet reflecting a slightly different perspective of the whole.
Mothers have announced their new album ‘Render Another Ugly Method’, set for a 7th September release date via ANTI- Records. Courtesy of NPR Music listen to the first track ‘Blame Kit’ here.
“A blame kit is exactly what it sounds like – an apparatus or social mechanism that aims to shift or imply guilt onto a particular person, group, or idea,” Leschper explains. “It is the first of many songs on the record that deals with the body as an object that can be expanded or collapsed, inhabited or deserted. The second section was inspired by a passage I discovered in a book of case studies of schizophrenic and autistic children: ‘His body will at one moment expand to contain things and events that are outside of it, and at the next shrink to near-nothingness…Uncertain of the boundaries of his body, things on the outside become terribly important.’ I couldn’t stop thinking about that.”
In contrast to ‘Blame Kit’, a new album teaser features a portion of a second track, ‘Baptist Trauma’. A composition of stop-start drums and shards of jagged guitar, the song is ultimately a dissection of Leschper’s practice and work ethic, self-described as ‘ugly, at times seeking validation through itself.’ Watch it here.
Now based in Philadelphia, Mothers originated in Athens, Georgia where Leschper was attending printmaking school. In 2016 they released their debut album ‘When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired’ to great critical acclaim. Named a Stereogum ‘Band To Watch’, Pitchfork’s review of the album compared Leschper to Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten while Noisey exclaimed that the record “is singer-songwriter prog rock for grown up emo kids.” When You Walk also kicked off a sprawling eight months of touring across the US, UK and Europe, as the group honed their take on left-of-center indie rock with an explosive and surprising live show that displayed how forceful the songs translated to a full-band setting.
“The first time I heard Mothers I knew it was a band that I wanted to work with,” said John Congleton, who produced Render Another Ugly Method. “So special and idiosyncratic, it is impossible to ignore their point of view. I loved making the record and seeing them work.”
“Mothers have returned with new songs that are more challenging to listen to, with a sound that is less benevolent, and somewhat demanding in its tone.” – Bob Boilen, NPR Music
“Shifting, polyrhythmic song structures and unexpected refrains are sure to disorient in a way that can only be pulled off by a band like Mothers. You won’t be able to figure out where the song goes next, you’ll just have to drift along with it and maybe do some reckoning of your own.” – Stereogum
Album release: ‘Render Another Ugly Method’ by Mothers
Release date: 7 September 2018
Label: ANTI- Records
More info: Band website