Mother Mother – Very Good Bad Thing
3/5
British Colombia favourite indie pop band Mother Mother has released their fifth studio album Very Good Bad Thing. Amongst the growing popularity and almost decade long career, the band is still going strong and making music crisp with the standard Mother Mothersound – sort of.
Known for their harmony filled pop vocals and always-energetic melodies, Very Good Bad Thing opens with the first single from the album “Get Out the Way“. Heavy and fuelled by fervency, the band’s new sound brings in a dominant electronic sound right off the bat, and lead singer Ryan Guldemond lets his aggression loose with fiery vocals. Repeating “get out the way, get out” the chorus channels their inner Nine Inch Nails, release through their indie pop flavour.
Slowing things down just a touch, “Monkey Tree“ is a more familiar sounding track, with bright synth tones and punchy bass-driven melodies. The vocals shared between Ryan and his sister Molly fit together phenomenally well, providing an added level on what would be a standard pop song.
Continuing with the heavy, synth-based pop sound, “Reaper Man“ follows suit, still missing the dance-pop elements of a traditional Mother Mother album. Relying on catchy hooks and the trance inducing qualities of synthesizer melodies, the song is a small bump in the album.
The title track makes up for a few of the missed shots on the album, with a bouncing chorus melody and catchy lyrics. “Very Good Bad Thing“ is (hopefully) what the band was aiming for with the new musical direction.
Fortunately for the band, their previous discography is worth every second, but the latest work of Very Good Bad Thing is hit or miss (mostly the former at least).
