Survival is the beating heart of music about struggle—The unwavering purpose of the refrain "I survive because I have died" is not the only line that sounds more like a hardcore lyric: "I set fire to abusers like a war," Knipe warns, curling the edges of each intonation with an astute bit of wearied twang, protesting for the right to be oneself. - Pitchfork
Adult Mom's music deals deeply and thoughtfully with queerness and identity, a directive made even more impressive by the upbeat, electronic-tinged folk pop the band uses to achieve it. "Told Ya So" is an encouraging note to self, in the same vein as Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine." - NPR
Steph Knipe has a way of surrounding big revelations with small observations. On Adult Mom’s forthcoming debut album, the most cutting lines are surrounded by fleeting moments. That confidence comes through on the lush and cushiony Momentary Lapse Of Happily, whose clean-cut sound recalls Jenny Lewis, or contemporaries like Frankie Cosmos and Waxahatchee. -Stereogum
Momentary Lapse of Happily will follow up Adult Mom's 2014 Sometimes Bad Happens EP on Miscreant Records. You can download that EP on Bandcamp now. Rolling Stones's Rob Sheffield named the EP one of the 10 Best Cassettes of 2014.
Adult Mom is the project of one Steph Knipe of Purchase College, NY. Started in, and forever brewed in a bedroom, AdultMom is an exploration into the darker subjects of life, the personal and explicit we are often told to keep to ourselves. At the forefront of Adult Mom is honesty and intimacy as Knipe writes clever pop songs that offer a glimpse into the journey of a gender-weird queer navigating through heartache, trauma and subsequent growth.
Life is about temporary moments in time. Everything is fleeting. Love is not lost, it just falls off and manifests elsewhere. With their debut LP, Momentary Lapse of Happily, Adult Mom bravely shines a light on the darkness and allows the listener to experience and feel those moments along with them. The album may be a snapshot of the temporary but the listen is one that will stay with you long after.
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My friend coined the term “slumber party punk” to describe Jawbreaker Reunion, and I can’t think of a definition more apt (or hashtag ready). They sound exactly like the kind of music that would soundtrack some spunky, idyllic montage of a sleepover in a ’90s teen comedy, girls with pigtails in patterned pajamas engaging in an overly dramatic pillow fight. But as likable as they sound most of the time, JBR’s lyrics betray a darker side, tinged with anxiety, fear, and complicated gender politics. Their debut LP, Lutheran Sisterhood Gun Club, is smart and empowering, all while remaining hyper self-aware.
JBR first popped up on my radar with last year’s Tearing Down Posters and it quickly entered heavy rotation. Their brand of urgent twee punk is refreshing and honest and it only benefits from the increased production value on the new album. Beyond their SEO-unfriendly name (which they picked up from a joke tweet), they don’t share much similar DNA with Blake Schwarzenbach’s band, but one thing they do have in common is being really fun to listen to while providing enough darkness under the surface to sink your teeth into.
We talked to the whole band over Facebook chat (yay, technology!) about how they got together, the recording process for their new album, and what they’ll be up to next.
