On May 6th, indie band Momma hit Crescent Ballroom with an electric performance. Momma is fronted by singers Allegra Weingarten and Etta Friedman, who both hold a euphoric, yet familiar, charm that only the lead singer of an indie-sleaze revival band can have.
They started with “I Want You (Fever)”, a hit that is also their most popular and fresh from their newest album, Welcome to My Blue Sky. This track encapsulates the reemergence of the indie sleaze pop movement with its catchy, danceable lyrics: “pick up and leave her, I want you, fever”. It is one of those songs where the lyrics are simple enough to be the building blocks to making a solid beat.
This theme is strong throughout their content, captivating lyricism that blurs the world. The distortion provides a grungy touch, the bass is heavy, and the electric guitar is brassy and light. Weingarten and Friedman’s vocals are moody and almost angsty in contrast, and together, it’s an indie symphony that’s palatable for anyone, old or young, as its concert audience proved.
Songs like “New Friend” held a more twangy flair with the new trend of country-dipped indie pop artists like Wednesday or Waxahatchee, while the fresh, chirpy instrumentals and 2000s beats of “Bottle Blonde” proved they are capable of a different range. The contents of Welcome to My Blue Sky translated perfectly to the Crescent Stage, proving the band is capable of a performance just as much as they are capable of solid production. The album echoes other emerging indie artists of this decade, but the foursome has a chirpy, memorable sound, and uniquely Momma.
It’s the type of album that is so catchy and easy to dance to that the audience members forget the whole point. In this case, Weingarten and Friedman wrote the album from the perspective of two people they’ve hurt. It’s an album, but it’s also a display of what relationships and love can look like when people grow apart, and what moving on looks like, especially when you take the chance to forgive others and yourself.
The concert ended with a cover of Sunday by Narrow Head, a take on a fresh song from only 2023. Their signature voice embraced the music in a way that matched their melancholy rhythmic style, with the lyrics “Fall in love/see things through and know/I’ve had enough of it/fall in love…” It’s another song based on the intricacies of falling in and out of love, but like Momma, its simple lyrics are so danceable that it’s easy to forget what it’s about.
This simple lyricism with a more emotional undertone might be a response to the recession, just in the same way that indie music in 2008 helped people channel their troubles on the dance floor. It’s an instinct that comes from music beyond the recession—maybe it’s just human nature. Weingarten and Friedman’s lyricism and melodies seem to do exactly that.
