In Welcome to My Blue Sky, Brooklyn based alternative rock band Momma successfully resurrects the spirit of 90’s angst. Bringing forward the best of singer-songwriter-guitarist duo Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten, drummer Preston Fulks, and bassist-producer Aron Kobayashi Ritch, this record is, in a word; rich. Across 12 tracks, Momma grabs listeners by the hand and pulls them into the roller coaster of a touring artist’s early adulthood.
Opening with “Sincerely,” a quiet, acoustic track, Momma begins the album with an ending. They sing “And anyone that calls / Should know I don’t look back anymore,” bidding farewell as the journey of Welcome to My Blue Sky begins. Following this is one of the catchiest songs on the album, “I Want You (Fever).” This song dives headfirst into deceit, infidelity, and self-destruction with its impressive riffs and closing chant, “Pick up and leave her / I want you, fever.” Instantly transitioning into “Rodeo,” the album takes the perspective of the one betrayed, asking “You’re on your own, do you feel bad for what you did?” Approaching their mistakes with musical and emotional maturity, in Welcome to My Blue Sky Momma itself is coming of age, not just Friedman and Weingarten as individuals.
The tracks “Stay All Summer,” “Bottle Blonde,” and “Ohio All The Time” are the most satisfying parts of the album. Each one captures a different part of Friedman and Weingarten’s development as bandmates, but also as friends during their summer 2022 tour. “Stay All Summer,” embodies the pinky-promise of friendship on the album cover, as they sing “I would stall and stay all summer with you.” In a similar vein, “Bottle Blonde” and “Ohio All The Time” celebrate and reflect on the chaos of their lives on tour. With earnest confessions and catchy lyrics and melodies, these three tracks are the beating heart of Momma’s identity on this record.
The album concludes with “Welcome to My Blue Sky,” “Take Me with You,” and “My Old Street,” some of the most heartfelt songs on the album, reckoning with returning to their lives after that fateful tour. “Welcome to My Blue Sky” boasts some of the most vivid imagery on the album, capturing the midwestern and southern backdrop of their experiences on tour. As they sing about “white crosses made from rotting wood” and “a pickup truck with a bull on the hood,” listeners are immersed into the world of Momma’s summer 2022 tour. Another more subdued, acoustic song, similar to “Sincerely,” “Take Me With You,” manages to unearth so much nostalgia and desire in so few lyrics. Concluding with “My Old Street,” all the anticipation of the album culminates into a final catharsis, with an impressive and indulgent minute-long guitar solo.
Momma’s modern take on the 90s alt-rock sound makes the perfect summer soundtrack for warm evenings in the car with the windows down. If you’re looking for some nostalgia in line with Veruca Salt or My Bloody Valentine, be sure to check out Welcome to My Blue Sky, and snag some tickets for Momma’s upcoming tour!