"Moms"

About

The fifth album from the Portland, Ore.–based Menomena sees the former trio reduced to a duo, as Brent Knopf has left to pursue other endeavors. <i>Moms</i> feels just as full with Justin Harris and Danny Seim as the sole members, and due to its conceptual essence, it's broadly textured and deeply satisfying. Menomena has always produced an intriguing musical weave, flexing an uncanny ability to sound organic and easy, perhaps patchouli-scented, while also producing a good deal of drama and occasional noise and grit. <i>Moms</i> is clearly a concept album, with Harris and Seim conjuring vivid scenes rooted in family strife, relationships, and love lost. The album's true theme pulses with lyrical gut-punches like "When I grew up, you grew lonely/And that can't be what you need," as Harris muses about life with a single mom. Seim lost his mother at a young age, a factor in some of his own gut-punches like "I wish I could remember if my last words were sincere." Whether every lyric is truly biographical, the emotional heft here gives <i>Moms</i> inarguable depth, and the production is just as stellar.

via Apple Music