Momma

Momma operates as an indie rock endeavor inclined toward dense guitar textures, introspective singing, and reflective themes. The project centers on the partnership of Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten, who divide vocal, compositional, and guitar roles. Their 2020 follow-up Two of Me earned notice from major music outlets. Two years afterward the duo issued Household Name on Polyvinyl, marking their first professional studio recording. Amid subsequent festival appearances and extensive touring they issued the standalone tracks “Bang Bang” in 2023 and “Ohio All the Time” in 2024.

The group originated in greater Los Angeles when Friedman, still in high school and already playing in another band, chose the name Momma. She later connected with classmate Allegra Weingarten through school-related activities and the two quickly became close. Both taught themselves guitar and drew from shared touchstones such as Liz Phair; they began composing material together while still in their mid-teens. Their first EP, thanks come again, surfaced in August 2016. Sebastian Jones and Aron Kobayashi-Ritch handled mixing and engineering, with both members contributing vocals, guitar, and bass while Weingarten also played drums. The full-length debut Interloper arrived in 2018, again featuring additional drummers and with Robert Tilden responsible for mixing and engineering.

Steady growth in attention and listeners followed each release. In 2019 Momma supported Gang of Four in Los Angeles, and after Two of Me appeared on Danger Collective in June 2020 Rolling Stone conducted an interview with the pair. Kobayashi-Ritch produced, engineered, and mixed that concept album, which unfolds in a fictional small town. By then Weingarten had completed her studies at Tulane University in New Orleans while Friedman was enrolled at a college in New York City.

After relocating to Brooklyn, Momma joined the Polyvinyl roster in 2021 and cut their third album with Kobayashi-Ritch in a formal studio setting for the first time. Household Name reached stores in July 2022 and lifted the band’s profile on festival stages and the North American indie circuit. They closed the year supporting Snail Mail and Surf Curse, then in 2023 opened for Death Cab for Cutie and Alex G while also appearing with Weezer and Modest Mouse on the Indie Rock Road Trip! Tour. “Bang Bang” emerged that March, followed by an October split single with Narrow Head issued jointly by Polyvinyl and Run for Cover Records. In 2024 the group toured with girl in red and played California dates alongside St. Vincent before releasing “Ohio All the Time” on Polyvinyl and Lucky Number in October. Kobayashi-Ritch and drummer Preston Fulks were formally added as members by that point, and Momma spent the final months of 2024 on the road with Beabadoobee.