Mother Mother’s ‘Nostalgia’ is an album about creative and emotional liberation

Canadian alt-rock band Mother Mother are celebrating two decades of reinvention with their 10th studio album, Nostalgia. Released as a tribute to their 20-year journey, the record is a project that manages to feel both a return to roots and a bold leap forward.

Arriving just a year after 2024’s Grief Chapter, Nostalgia finds the band in form — tapping into the uninhibited creativity that first drew fans in, while continuing to evolve musically, lyrically, and visually. The result is a 12-track collection that explores alienation, self-acceptance, love, loss, spirituality, gender identity, and more, all wrapped in the textures of mythical creatures, dreamlike landscapes, and post-glam eccentricity.

At the heart of Nostalgia is the personal and moving focus track “ON AND ON (Song for Jasmin)”, written by frontman Ryan as a platonic love letter to longtime bandmate Jasmin. The two share a rare kind of history: once romantic partners, they transitioned into a profound, enduring friendship that has weathered heartbreak, grief, and the endless highs and lows of touring life. The song is a celebration of that bond, made even more poignant by a music video filmed largely by Ryan himself, documenting years of shared experiences on the road.

Across the album, Mother Mother blends the thematic and the theatrical, through songs like their first two singles on the album “Love to Death” and “Make Believe” delivering bursts of their signature oddball outsiderness, honesty, and even unicorns — with melodies and rollercoaster-like dynamics. Meanwhile, “FINGER”, with its provocative lyrics and video, leans into the satirical, skewering domestic norms and societal absurdities with irreverence.

Despite the varied sounds and subjects, there’s an unmistakable through-line: Nostalgia is an album about creative and emotional liberation. It looks backward only to pull something timeless forward—rekindling the spirit that defined the band’s early work while pushing the boundaries of what Mother Mother can be.

Few bands can boast 10 albums and still sound like they’re discovering themselves in real time. But Nostalgia and Mother Mother make it clear: this is a band not only reflecting on the past but confidently setting the tone for their future. As they dive headfirst into this next chapter, Mother Mother proves that the most powerful nostalgia isn’t about staying in the past—it’s about remembering who you are and choosing to evolve, on your own, wildly imaginative terms.

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