Around 11 p.m., the sweat-drenched crowd spilled out of the Biltmore Cabaret into the rainy Vancouver night, buzzing with excitement — and glistening from the sweltering heat — after Momma finished their encore of "Speeding 72."
My hopes had been high, and Momma surpassed them. The Biltmore feels like the perfect place to see a dreamy-but-heavy indie rock band, with its maroon velour seats, black walls and gothic lighting echoing the act's grungy, hazy sound. The room was packed with fans of all ages, but a line of young women at the very front jumped to the beat, singing along and dancing to the intertwined guitar riffs of Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten.
Ironically, Momma aren't from somewhere as dark and moody as Vancouver. Friedman and Weingarten met at school in sunny California in 2015 and started making music together there. Nearly a decade later, they're currently based in Brooklyn, signed with Polyvinyl, and touring their latest album, Welcome to My Blue Sky.
Their newest release is noticeably lighter in instrumental style than previous work, but keeps its drone-y vocal core. It's full of sentimental reflections and irresistible hooks — especially on standouts like "Bottle Blonde," "I Want You (Fever)," and "Stay All Summer," all of which they played live.
Friedman snarled, rolled their eyes, and sneered into the microphone with palpable punk attitude, while Weingarten brought warmth and vulnerability to her vocals. The contrast between them creates a dynamic, emotive balance that calls to mind the Breeders' All Nerve tour stop at the Commodore Ballroom — a show I still think about years later.
Onstage, Momma looks like they walked out of a '90s grunge zine. Dressed in vintage tees and baggy pants, both guitarists slung SGs and Jag-Stangs over their shoulders with casual cool. Two oversized heart lockets hung behind them on stage, matching the bracelet on Weingarten's wrist — an intimate visual that reinforced the band's quietly romantic energy. Watching them play felt transportive, hypnotic.
I first discovered Momma through their 2022 performance on Audiotree Live, when I heard "Medicine" for the first time. Hooked by their lush, layered guitars and misty harmonies, I dove into their discography, starting with 2018's Interloper and 2020's Two of Me.
2022's Household Name quickly became my most-played album, and it still holds the title today. While their earlier records carry a kind of small-town frustration and dreariness I find deeply resonant, Welcome to My Blue Sky is easily their most danceable. Hearing it live, in a room full of queers and indie kids, was a joy.
It doesn't hurt that their lyrics have become increasingly noticeably queer over the years. As a lifelong indie music fan and a lesbian, that kind of representation means something. And when it's packaged in shimmering guitar fuzz, heartfelt vocals and angsty nostalgia? Even better.