Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Momma, Mirror records 2022.
Momma is an alt/pop duo from New York and Household Name is their first studio produced album since signing with Mirror records.
The band consists of Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten who write the songs and play the guitars.
They have been augmented on this album by multi-instrumentalist/producer, Aaron Kobayashi Ritch and drummer, Zach Capitti-Fenton.
They burst onto the scene in 2020 with their debut self-released LP Two of Me which was greatly admired and has become a much-loved fan favourite.
With the backing of a record label behind them, they have moved everything up a notch or two and there are hopes that Household Name will do just that and bring them to the attention of a broader audience.
The album was mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Emily Lazar, she’s put together a tight collection of songs that showcases the girls writing skills.
Etta and Allegra met and formed Momma in high school, and they were signed by Mirror while they were still at college.
The label could see substantial potential in the girls based on the success of Two of Me and the girls acknowledge that they have undergone considerable change in making Household Name.
Weingarten comments that “I was going through a really messy breakup, which was motivation to make this record the best it could be. I really felt like I had something to prove.”
She has poured her heartbreak into the lyrics however, Etta was going through something very different so for the first time in their collaboration they ended up writing several songs individually.
This record is also the first time that they have sung independently from each other which they do on three songs on the 12-track record.
Although some of the songs were independently written, the band worked as a unit to demo and record all the songs on the album.
This is the first time that they’ve had the time to work so intimately in the studio and the finished product reflects all the effort that’s gone into it.
I have a feeling that Etta and Allegra are on their way to becoming household names.
