Canadian indie-rock band – Mother Mother – burst back onto the scene with their latest record titled Grief Chapter following a triumphant explosion onto TikTok after their career had already spanned many years. ‘Hayloft’ reached viral numbers on the app, allowing the band to grow their audience further and establish themselves as a well-versed rock band with creative flexibility and vision. Ryan Guldemond (guitar and vocals) discusses everything from the band’s latest album, their current UK tour, and what happens to us when we enter the afterlife.
Regarding the album, frontman Ryan Guldemond says, “We’ve been playing the biggest stages of our career over the last few years, feeling more like a high energy rock band than we’ve ever felt. It’s natural, I think, that this charged frequency found its way into the record. In the studio, our instinct was to make things hit hard and feel powerful, and the band as a whole felt very honed to execute in this way.”
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“We feel good, it is nice to have it (Grief Chapter) out and now hidden anymore, and the fans seem genuinely excited about it!” Ryan shares sitting in a hotel room over a Zoom call the morning of one of Mother Mother’s shows in the UK. The feelings felt during an album release can range from euphoric to anxiety – yet Ryan’s persona appears chill, laid-back, effortless almost. “We have not tackled this theme of death so directly before,” he continues. Grief Chapter, at first glance, appears as a record which explores the notions of life, death, religion, and existentialism. Asking Ryan if the topic was a hard one to delve into so personally, he says: “Sure, because songwriting and making music, in general, is very stressful, it feels like such an important job and such a privileged position to be in.” He continues: “The thought of putting something mediocre out there, or something that is not our best is a really heartbreaking thought, but what are you going to do you are only as good as you are in the moment.” Mother Mother have been on the scene since 2005, nearly spanning a decade-long career – yet the anxiety regarding new music and new projects still surrounds Ryan. The singer notes: “We tried our best, and there has never been a truer statement,” they are proud of Grief Chapter.
Grief Chapter – the title bears all – it is a record about grief and death, but it is intriguing to see what influenced the album title. Ryan says: “It came from the song ‘Grief Chapter’ which is about a friend whose dad passed away and I was talking to this friend about grief and mourning and life vividly and movingly.” The vocalist of Mother Mother swiftly adds: “Once you kind of tap into a good, thematic centrepiece, whether or not you try to the other songs gravitate towards that theme. Once Grief Chapter was in the picture death kept popping up without predetermination, It is a pivotal song.” This song on the album is the focal point for the entirety of the record – without it, the album may have taken Mother Mother in a completely different creative direction.
Mother Mother are touring Grief Chapter in the UK – a fulfilling experience for any band who has just dropped a new project. When asked what tour life is like for the band, Ryan beams: “Reconnecting with our fans and singing these songs for them is transcendental. We do not even feel like we are singing to them, but with them, and it is the best feeling and the best medicine.” When asked which UK venue has been the band’s favourite to play so far, Ryan pauses for a while and has to check his phone to remember where the band are in the country. After long consideration, Ryan says: “Glasgow was sick!” Diverting the conversation directly onto the Mother Mother fan base who attend these shows, the singer shares some heartfelt words. “It is always lovely to see someone at the front who you recognise from another show, our fans are so sweet. Everyone is so wholesome and kind for the right reasons.” Mother Mother are eternally grateful for the dedicated fanbase they have built over the years and could not be more thankful for their support.
Their latest album has twelve tracks, ranging from heavy-hitting rock anthems such as ‘Normalize’ and ‘End of Me’ to folkier tracks like ‘To My Heart’ to sombre songs such as ‘Grief Chapter’. It is a stacked record where one can find comfort in death thanks to the soft-apocalyptic rock band. When asked which song is his favourite, the lead singer replies: “Head Shrink, it is really well written and a little darker and I like dark songs.” Guldemond adds: “The song was born out of a personal injury which leads to a portal of emotional stuff which allowed us to tackle the theme of trauma and how it can manifest into physical injury.” Ryan’s lyricism in this record is very raw – arguably personal. He is very open with the audience, allowing listeners to delve into his chaotic and emotional thoughts. “This is the best place to talk about this stuff because it is not whiney, it makes it less selfish. It also lets it become someone else’s story and the problems become less about you and is therapeutic for others,” Ryan indicates when explaining why he felt so open and raw lyrically and emotionally during the Grief Chapter writing process – he wants the songs to manifest into something that can help listeners and also be therapeutic for him and the rest of Mother Mother. He adds to this in-depth and exposed comment: “I often sometimes go, what am I good for here? What am I doing here on this planet? How am I earning my keep? Me spilling this into songs is not going to save the world but it feels good for the world.” Grief Chapter manifests into a record for the people – born from the band’s inner turmoil and trauma.
‘Nobody Escapes’ begins the album – with a social allegory and outlook into the state of society and a hard-hitting look into the state of the world. Ryan explains how he wrote this song: “I was just sat at the kitchen table, to be honest. It came from my personality, I like dark music with a smirk. It started out gibberish and then my personality subconsciously took over these strange phonetics and applied words to it that are emblematic of who I am.” He laughs and adds: “I am also the type of person who enjoys thinking about the indiscriminative nature of death, and no matter who you are or what you have, you do not get to rig the system of society because it is going to come for you one day.”
It was vital to ask Ryan what he thinks happens to the human form once we do eventually pass on – with a smirk, he says: “My mom thinks there is a pool of energy which is full of different colours and whatever you embodied in your life, and everyone just kinda returns to this pool, but i dont know that does not make a lot of sense. I simply enjoy the eternal philosophy, like we get recycled, our soul that is.”
Mother Mother excel with their latest release – Grief Chapter – and explores the idea of death in an obscure manner – something they have not touched this intensely on in previous projects. From Ryan’s comments, it is clear that the indie-rock band are proud of this release and want listeners to delve in and explore this Grief Chapter with them to unlock a different emotional side to themselves they never knew was hidden away.
Stream Grief Chapter here:
