Mother Tongues
Everything You Wanted
Buzz Records
Toronto, ON
RIYL: Stereolab/Broadcast; psychedelia; being moody 

I’m not sure whether Mother Tongues would welcome or wince at a likening to psych-rock royalty Melody’s Echo Chamber. Like Melody, the Toronto band’s influences take centre stage on their debut release, where swirling, trance-like guitars, punchy synth lines, and distant vocals combine to form a nostalgic, psyche-kraut soundscape. If the album’s most interesting effort, “Fortunes,” is any indication, Mother Tongues know they aren’t reinventing the wheel – but that their subtle plays with timing and vocal delivery will make you want to get in the car and keep driving. Because, at the end of the day, any band aiming for mysticism (as per the album’s release pitch) is looking to take you somewhere else. Everything You Wanted gets you just there, whatever that means to you.

Katerina Stamadianos