The exhausting, aching and kind of grooving album “When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired” aims to leave listeners — well, tired.
Georgia-based group Mothers’ released their debut album on Feb. 26. The album features the dizzying vocal talent of guitarist and vocalist Kristine Leschper, whose vocal chords are reminiscent of both contemporary female vocal artists akin to Angel Olsen and staple folk musicians such as Joan Baez.
This wailing is accompanied by a simplistic, linear lyrical method. Leschper’s words are blunt and lack flowery prose, as heard in the opening track “Too Small For Eyes,” where Leschper croons “I hate my body/I love your taste/bird stirring in my chest/you give and take away.”
Third track “It Hurts Until It Doesn’t” is particularly poignant in its bleak lyrics; however, the accompanying electric guitar riffs and upbeat bass line give listeners something to bob their heads to.
Most songs address the heartbroken emptiness that feels like a staple in some moments of a young adult’s life. Unrequited love, detached lovers and an overall lack of self worth are some of the themes in this particular album.
Produced by Drew Vandenberg, the album features a couple of artists the producer worked with previously. Musicians such as Josh McKay of Deerhunter and McKendrick Bearden of Grand Vapids on bass organizing the string arrangements heard in tracks such as “Nesting Behavior.”
But it doesn’t end at the vocals. Though some songs initially blend together due to similar folk influences, delving into the 8 track album, “When You Walk A Long Distance,” exhibits bluesy guitar-work and thumping bass lines that suggest a deeper chemistry within the band.
The album is an attempted balance between hard noise and soft noise, converging folk and underlying rock. This balance is vital to Mothers sound, especially when the instrumentals incorporate a bluesy guitar or resounding drum. When Leschper’s voice runs too thin (as it tends to do when she gets too weepy), it’s always supported by either a strong acoustic guitar or steady drum sequence.
Overall, the debut succeeds in branding Mothers as a folk-y, experimental sad trip that (at times) sounds a bit bland, but overall offers a gateway into a 42-minute-long crisis that has you weeping about your latest woe.