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Photo: Sophie Hur

The '90s called—they actually don’t want grunge back, they’re Momma fans, too.

Trailblazers in indie rock, the California-grown band, Momma, is continuing grunge and punk-pop's angsty legacy while forging their own lane. They salute influences like Veruca Salt, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nirvana in their tracks built around gritty, guttural layers of distortion and playfully rebellious lyrical tone.

“Medicine,” off the 2022 album, Household Name, is the gateway song to Momma. From the first strum of the guitar, we’re locked into a percussive hook that builds on itself in layers of mildly Midwest-emo-picking patterns and drum accents. The riff-centric songwriting style harkens to rock icons of yesteryear—a technique often overlooked in this modern age of synths and simplicity. We also get a good glimpse of the daring yet nonchalant vocal delivery of singers Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten here, where the chorus gleams with their moody harmonies. They have a trademark tendency to slowly build up tension, so the moment their voices finally lock-in is always an especially dreamy one.

Other tracks off Household Name depict Friedman and Weingarten’s musical witchery—“Rip Off” with its washboard percussion wit, “Speeding 72” with a guitar line that hums in the back of your head for days. “Rockstar” flaunts its foxy lyrical taunt alongside a playful music video sketching the “story of Momma,” where we view a hyperbolic reenactment of the band’s start. Even if it is a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary, listeners get a peek at Momma’s personality through this video; it's a slightly gritty, DIY energy that simply feels like something you want to be a part of.

On the other side of the spectrum, “Motorbike” embodies the nostalgia factor that courses through Momma’s discography in a polaroid-picture-memory sort of way. The song is a sonic portrayal of youthful adrenaline, the ignorant bliss of a midnight motorcycle ride or sharing a cigarette with a stranger. Momma has a talent for stylizing their music with this retro vignette effect that perfectly contrasts with their modern, innovative production.

The band’s recent single, “Bang Bang,” is a steamy unveiling of sound; lyrically and sonically, it feels like the chic montage intro to Momma’s newest era. Paired with Friedman and Weingarten’s devilishly charming vocals, the blunt lyricism makes for a cheeky edge of sensuality, daring listeners to let themselves crave alongside the singers.

Momma writes the type of music that I wish I could experience at a crowded college house show, shoulder to shoulder in someone’s cinderblock basement, risking a noise complaint with every distorted riff. With each new body of work, they venture further into their signature blend of grunge influence and modern alternative daringness. They’ll be making their Coachella debut on April 16, so be sure to stop by their set for the ultimate girl-grunge punk-pop-powerhouse experience.