The Great Gig in the Sky

On album number four, Brooklyn-based indie rockers Momma find themselves at their most autobiographical, searching deep to channel the music

- AMIT SHARMA

WHILE MOST DUAL-GUITAR bands tend to have designated roles in terms of what kind of sonic space their members occupy, Momma six-stringers Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten enjoy being unrestricted, fluid and free.

They both write and sing, switching from rhythm to lead, depending on what is required for the song. It's a very easygoing musical partnership born out of the mutual respect that's come from working together over the past decade, having formed the band at school while in their mid-teens. That sense of collaboration and cohesion is more than evident on the 12 tracks that make up hook-laden fourth album Welcome to My Blue Sky, which blurs the lines between grunge, dream pop and indie in the most brilliant of ways. By their own admission, it could very well be the secret to their success.

“We've always been like this,” says Weingarten, who's joined by Friedman on a hard-earned day off in the middle of a sold-out tour. "Both of us are good at writing and playing leads, so it would be weird to separate the roles. It also makes things more interesting. If one of us writes a song, we leave space for the other person to contribute melodically. I think we bring out the best in each other.”

What felt different about this album from a guitar standpoint?

ETTA FRIEDMAN: We were a lot more simplistic this time round, not to say the parts aren't interesting. This latest record feels more autobiographical. It's more about our emotions and our identities. We found a lot of the direction through experimentation, using all the crazy pedals that Aron [Kobayashi Ritch, bass/producer] has. That's why it's more experimental in places.