Mother Mother - Eureka

Some album releases are very poorly timed, while others hit the spot perfectly. Mother Mother’s new record falls into the latter category. ‘Eureka’ is summery as all hell, a maelstrom of different musical styles that has been mixed into something profoundly euphoric; bright and joyous from its first note to its last. It can be collected under the umbrella of ‘psychedelic pop’ overall, but the band are stylistically playful, to the point that their songs delight in unpredictability.

The songs on ‘Eureka’ are also linked by a singularly big and bold sound, full of driving drums and elaborate arrangements, all of which are topped off by the excellent vocal partnership of Ryan and Molly Guldemond, best displayed on the infectious ‘The Stand’, on which call-and-response dialogue between the two adds an extra dimension to a song that is already extremely busy and vibrant.

Now on their third album, Mother Mother have added poppier elements to their sound (some of which were already there and simply needed to be brought to the fore). The Canadian quintet could now be compared (if you like that sort of thing) to a kind of Flaming Lips / of Montreal hybrid, but thankfully they don’t let their quirky approach to songwriting get in the way of their melody-writing skills. Much of this album is flat-out brilliant. It’s very hard to argue with songs like ‘Born In A Flash’ and ‘Far In Time’, definitely two of the best songs the group have written to date. Their sound might be a tad overwhelming for those who are not accustomed to similar styles, but for those who enjoy ambitious, sweeping pop and are looking for their new favourite band, look no further. You might say Mother Mother have had a bit of a ‘eureka!’ moment.