Rockstar life is tiring. Just ask Brooklyn-based rock quartet Momma, who have had a whirlwind past few years following the release of their fittingly titled breakout album, Household Name. New fans brought new opportunities, which translated to a life spent on the road. There was a thrill to the madness, but once it was time to work on their follow-up album, they realized they now had to figure out how to translate their new life into music. “Every time we sat down to write about our life we realized that most of our recent formative experiences happened on tour,” Momma co-founders Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten tell PAPER. “It was important for us to look back on those moments with some levity and appreciation of what we went through, while also acknowledging that we definitely fucked up a lot.”
Taking those songs to bandmate and producer Aron Kobayashi Ritch and drummer Preston Fulks, the band endeavored on a process of refinement and exploration, their “biggest priority [being] to have the lyrics shine through and encapsulate a specific moment in time.” The result, their forthcoming album, Welcome To My Blue Sky, indeed feels like a snapshot of life on the road with its inherent grit and isolation, but also its panoramic, expansive quality. Driving from town to town to play shows can be a slog. But it’s also a chance to stare at that big, blue sky, to notice the sun shining like a dream.
Standout single “Bottle Blonde” — releasing today alongside an accompanying music video – captures that balance. The song, which Friedman and Weingarten describe as a “letter to their past and present selves,” is an excavation of the “ebb and flow” of the longtime friends and collaborators’ relationship. “The summer of 2022 was really special because we happened to go through very similar personal experiences, and we could only really confide in each other about it,” Friedman and Weingarten tell PAPER. “We’ve kept a lot of secrets for each other and ‘Bottle Blonde’ is about honoring that bond.” One can see that bond in the video, which is composed of tour footage taken from 2022-2024 and features cameos from fellow stars Beabadoobee and Snail Mail. Throughout it you can see the mix of exhaustion and levity that defined the time, and the band’s closeness through it all.
PAPER chatted with Friedman and Weingarten ahead of “Bottle Blonde’s” release to discuss life on the road, their new album’s brighter sound and the process behind Welcome To My Blue Sky.
The video for “Bottle Blonde” brings us into a time when you were touring Household Name. How did the whirlwind experience of touring shape this record and inform your songwriting?
When you’re on tour, your self control is really tested. There’s free alcohol everywhere, you’re getting no sleep, and you’re meeting new people every night. There are a lot of fun experiences that come out of that lifestyle, but there can also be some darkness. It can feel really lonely even though you’re surrounded by people 24/7. Touring can be so all-consuming, so every time we sat down to write about our life we realized that most of our recent formative experiences happened on tour. It was important for us to look back on those moments with some levity and appreciation of what we went through, while also acknowledging that we definitely fucked up a lot. But sometimes mistakes can end up making your life more fulfilling, and we realized that through writing songs together.
Tell me about the experience of going through this tour footage and putting together the video for “Bottle Blonde.” Is there anything that surprised you when you were reviewing the footage?
There was definitely a lot of incriminating evidence in there… We realized that there was a reason we couldn’t stop writing about that specific moment in time, because even though it was tumultuous, it also felt so pure and we didn’t feel jaded yet.
You’ve said “Bottle Blonde” is about talking to your past and present selves. What are some of the lessons you’ve learned through your long standing collaboration and friendship that made their way on to “Bottle Blonde”?
Friendships go through a lot of phases. We’ve been friends for 10 years, so obviously there’s going to be some ebb and flow in terms of how connected we are. That summer of 2022 was really special because we happened to go through very similar personal experiences, and we could only really confide in each other about it. It’s comforting to know that on tour when we’re meeting new people and are bringing new people into our lives, we still have each other as confidants. We’ve kept a lot of secrets for each other and “Bottle Blonde” is about honoring that bond.
The record is so tight and expertly produced/played. Was there a standout moment from recording where you felt like the record clicked?
It was really more in the writing process that we felt like everything was clicking. Bringing the songs to our producer and bassist, Aron, it felt like he was able to articulate these heavy emotional themes through his production. He had a lot of unique ideas that completely transformed the feeling of a lot of these songs –
“Bottle Blonde” is a really good example of that. What started as kind of a melancholy acoustic track turned into something more positive and hopeful, and that’s all thanks to him.
Household Name was such a breakthrough record. What do you hope fans who came onboard from Household Name will take away from Welcome to My Blue Sky?
Honestly, there’s a part of us that feels like it could be divisive. I know we have a lot of Household Name fans who wanted us to make a grungier, heavier record. If we hadn’t gone through such a tumultuous period while writing this record, we probably would have made an album like that. But for Welcome to My Blue Sky, our biggest priority was to have the lyrics shine through and to encapsulate a specific moment in time. We see this as a really positive progression for our band, so regardless of what people think we’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve done. But just a message to the indie rock dads that love us because we remind them of bands from their youth — not only are the comparisons getting a bit tired, but we hope you can grow with us and allow us to explore other genres and styles. Also, this music isn’t written with you in mind, so if it’s not “loud” enough, there’s other bands that will deliver that!
Photography: Avery Norman