LOS ANGELES, CA- There’s a feeling you get sometimes when listening to music—a sonic deja vu. Like you’ve been here before, but you can’t quite pinpoint where. That’s what I felt the first time I listened to Welcome to My Blue Sky, the latest release from Momma. The band has a distinctly modern sound, sure, but there’s an undercurrent of something older, something comforting. They’re young, yes, but the music feels aged in a way that only comes from true reverence. There’s indie rock here, absolutely. But there’s also a soft glimmer of pop polish and a ragged edge of grunge, like they’re dialing into a frequency that hasn’t broadcast this clearly since the ’90s.
Apparently rooted in Los Angeles, Momma somehow managed to slip through my radar while they were still local—a fact I now find slightly regrettable. Because Welcome to My Blue Sky, released via Polyvinyl, is a front-to-back strong album, one that balances introspection with grit. Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten write with the kind of personal lens that defined alternative rock’s golden age, and they channel it through an energetic, confident voice that clearly resonates. The Fonda Theatre was absolutely packed on May 9, 2025, and not with jaded concertgoers. Their audience skews young, yes, but not in a disposable, trend-driven way. These fans are dialed in.
And yet, even as someone who now proudly calls himself middle-aged, their music speaks to me. Maybe it’s because I hear echoes of Veruca Salt or The Breeders. Maybe it’s just because good songwriting always transcends generations. Whatever the case, Momma’s set hit all the right notes—an exercise in evocative, guitar-driven nostalgia made fresh for 2025.
Opening the night was a band I’d actually been trying to see for a while: Wishy. Back at SXSW this year, a few of my colleagues were urging me to catch them live in Austin. The chaos of South By meant I never got the chance. But here in L.A., finally standing in The Fonda, I understood the hype.
Wishy taps into the same ’90s energy as Momma, but they twist it through a different lens. Their sound weaves through dream pop, alt-rock, shoegaze, and noise pop with ease, and there’s a sense of textural exploration that makes their music feel hazy yet intentional. What especially stood out to me live was the trading off of lead vocals between co-founders Kevin Krauter and Nina Pitchkites. Their dynamic is balanced and intuitive, and while their past in indie-pop projects is apparent in their melodic sensibilities, Wishy has a distinct sonic identity that avoids being derivative.
Their set felt adventurous but cohesive—each track dancing between moods and aesthetics without ever losing the plot. While I still need to dive deeper into their catalog, what I heard at The Fonda was more than enough to convince me to pick up their latest album Triple Seven on vinyl. They’re one of those rare bands that manage to keep pop accessibility while indulging in more abstract sonic territory. I’m curious to see where they take things from here. Whether they lean further into their shoegaze impulses or solidify a more unified sound, I’m along for the ride.
As for Momma’s headlining set? Nineteen songs deep, including encores, and nearly flawless. They pulled heavily from Welcome to My Blue Sky, skipping only “Take Me With You” from the album. There was a brief technical hiccup midway through—nothing serious, just one of those minor things that adds personality to a live set—and they powered right through it. Their stage presence felt confident without trying too hard, like a band that knows they belong there.
Though words failed me a bit in trying to dissect the performance moment-by-moment, I kept returning to a feeling I couldn’t quite name—something that sat between nostalgia and momentum. It’s already been said, but worth echoing: there’s something special about the way Momma channels the spirit of ‘90s alt-rock through a distinctly modern lens. Their songs ripple with dual guitar interplay that feels both gritty and melodic, like echoes of a decade past reimagined for a generation that grew up on playlists, not mixtapes.
Their set at The Fonda was loud, emotionally tight, and unabashedly youthful—but there was also a sharpness to the way they delivered each track. It wasn’t just a throwback vibe; it was an intentional reworking of a familiar language, spoken fluently by musicians who clearly respect the past but aren’t confined by it. Their sound carries the DNA of grunge and pop-punk, but it also has clarity—songs that feel diaristic, reflective, and at times, disarmingly intimate. That balance between catharsis and control? That’s what kept the crowd locked in.
You could feel it in the way they held the stage—not with excess or flash, but with a kind of magnetic self-possession. Even when a minor technical hiccup interrupted the flow, the band barely missed a beat. They laughed it off, recalibrated, and dove right back in. Even during their encore—which featured a tender, well-executed Elliott Smith cover—there was no sense of posturing. Just love for the craft, and a band in full command of their moment.
Whether you came to The Fonda to relive a past era or to claim a new favorite band, Momma delivered. Nostalgia might be the vehicle, but it’s the honesty and songwriting that makes them stick.
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LIVE CLIPS
Momma Deliver a Nostalgic Yet Fresh Alt-Rock Set at The Fonda Theatre
