Nostalgia isn’t just a feeling – it’s a reckoning in Mother Mother’s new album

Photo Credit: Emily Bradshaw

With whimsical harmonies, thought-provoking lyrics, and catchy rhythms that worm into your ears, Canadian band, Mother Mother, are back with their 10^th studio album, Nostalgia.

The alt-rock, post-glam band are celebrating their 20^th anniversary in style, by releasing songs from their extensive unseen discography, all with one common goal: to evoke strong emotional reactions.

This, of course, has been the style of Mother Mother throughout their entire career, pushing boundaries with lyrics that shock and delight. With songs covering themes of alienation, existentialism, self-love, self-hate, gender roles and spirituality, they’ve built up a firm fanbase and amassed over 9 billion streams for their unique sound.

Opening the album are two of the band’s previous singles – which have already racked up over three million streams on Spotify alone – Love to Death and Make Believe.

Love to Death follows an almost hypnotic drum beat, with familiar call and response, in lyrics, ‘You love enough and you love to death’. The track feels like a desperate push and pull of loving someone but it ultimately hurting you, with themes of disassociation, loneliness, and living life on the ‘razor blade’ edge.

Make Believe, on the other hand, plays on the more mystical beliefs that different religions, folklore, and legends hold. Naming different ‘make believe’ characters and deities, with a tongue twister of a chorus centring on the paradox of believing in make believe, though not believing in what you believe.

The cover art for Nostalgia – the new album – seems to link to this song, with lyrics, ‘I believe in the old unicorn’.

The lyricism within the track talks us through the eyes of someone who has had a variety of different experiences, affecting their spiritual and religious beliefs of the world around them.

You can’t not talk about the track, FINGER. This song, stylistically and lyrically, sticks out the most when compared to the rest of the album. Featuring taboo lyrics that question gender inequality, sung to an alt-rock beat, prove that Mother Mother are unashamed to reference these deeper topics. With shock factor lyrics that most of society would find ‘taboo’, Mother Mother playfully remind us that we shouldn’t feel ashamed for enjoying these experiences and desires.

After the shock of FINGER, we delve into a much calmer second half of the album, but – don’t worry – the deeper lyrics that have you questioning what it all means are still a firm staple of Mother Mother. little mistake is the perfect example of this, with lighter guitar and drum accompaniment, representing a more indie-style genre: ‘A little mistake can be a big thing, can be a whole lot of pain’.

Overall, Nostalgia feels just like that: looking back at the past and being reminded of experiences you might have had, how they twist, and become dreams—rather than memories. It’s heartfelt and dark, exploring many different themes throughout, but sticks close to Mother Mother’s truly unique style. The songs, being a mix of old and new, show the consistency the band have towards their sound, but that they’re not afraid to push into different topics, societal standards and aesthetics, as time has gone on.

The full Nostalgia album is out everywhere on the 6^th of June, and Mother Mother are set to headline London’s O2 Academy Brixton on the 16^th of July.

Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Tyler Whiting/ADRENALINE Magazine.