Mother Mother

Mother Mother

Mother Mother is a Canadian indie rock band from Vancouver, active since 2005. The group currently includes Ryan Guldemond, Molly Guldemond, Jasmin Parkin, Mike Young, Ali Siadat, Debra-Jean Creelman, Kenton Loewen and Jeremy Page. Its music is also described across indie pop, indie rock, pop, pop rock and rock.

Formation and early line-up

The band forms in Vancouver in January 2005, led by guitarist and vocalist Ryan Guldemond while he is at music school. He begins the project around vocal-driven pop songs, first bringing in his sister Molly Guldemond and Debra-Jean Creelman to sing with him. The group starts as an acoustic act, then adds drummer Kenton Loewen and bassist Jeremy Page. In its earliest period the band performs under the name Mother.

Recording, name change and debut album

In the fall of 2005, the group independently releases a self-titled debut album. It is recorded with Howard Redekopp, who has also worked with The New Pornographers and Tegan and Sara. After the label Last Gang Records encourages a name change to avoid legal issues, the band adopts the name Mother Mother. The debut is re-released on 20 February 2007 as Touch Up, with two new songs, different artwork and overdubs.

Later albums and line-up changes

The band releases O My Heart in 2008. In December 2008, Debra-Jean Creelman leaves the group, and Jasmin Parkin joins as a singer and keyboardist in January 2009. Eureka follows in 2011, with the single “The Stand” entering the Canada Singles Top 100 and peaking at number 76 that May. A Toronto Star review describes the album as moving into orchestral harmonies and hip hop-influenced power ballads.

The Sticks is released in 2012 and contains 14 tracks. It is co-produced by Ryan Guldemond and Ben Kaplan. The singles “Let’s Fall in Love” and “Bit By Bit” are issued from the album. In 2014 the band signs with Universal Music Canada and releases Very Good Bad Thing, followed by singles including “Get Out The Way”.

Under Universal Music Canada, Mother Mother later releases No Culture in 2017, with “The Drugs” and “Love Stuck” as singles, and Dance and Cry in 2018, with “Get Up” as its single. In 2021 the band releases Inside, which includes a remastered version of “Hayloft” as “Hayloft II”. After a short break, it releases Grief Chapter in 2024 and then DEMMOS, a silent release made up of demos of existing songs.

Festival appearances and wider attention

Early in its career, the band receives attention after being named by the Vancouver Province as one of the top five BC bands to watch in 2007. It also lands a nationally broadcast concert opening for K’naan and The Wailin’ Jennys. In 2006 it plays the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto for Canada Day, and appears at Pop Montreal before signing with Last Gang Records.

Mother Mother continues as a long-running Canadian rock group with a catalogue that includes ten albums, beginning with Touch Up and extending through DEMMOS.