New York Mormon escapee synthpop
Who they?
Identical twins Larena and Elyse Winn who, through the power of 80s synthpop, are on a mission to “embrace every facet of womanhood”. By the look of them they aren’t messing about. Nope. But it comes with a sting in the tail.
Why Mothermary?
The sisters grew up in Montana, the youngest of a dozen or so children in a family of Mormons. They attended church more than regularly, read scripture and prayed daily. The thing is, Mormonism can be a bit culty, a bit brainwashy. Under increasing pressure to live up to impossible Mormon standards (”Pretty enough to attract a mate, but not too pretty to be sexualised,” says Larena), they kicked hard against it all, especially the sexism that made them feel ashamed to be women. Elyse was the first to jump, hitching a ride to Salt Lake City where she worked in bars and began turning out darkwave weaponry to make sense of her entire life. Picking up and heading to the Big Apple, Larena soon followed and Mothermary (yes, that one) was born.
Tell us more…
The music? The music! They’re signed to Johnny Jewel’s Italians Do It Better label, which tells you much. Their debut album, ‘I Am Your God’, is full of deeply layered productions, dreamy vocals and retro synth warmth. Tracks such as the richly melodic ‘Wear Me Thin’ and the Fleetwood Mac-ish sweeps of ‘Give It Up’ don’t disappoint. Oh and there’s a great cover of Madonna’s ‘Like Prayer’, which seems fitting in their situation. As stories go, it is quite the attention-grabber. The music they make is equal to the job.
‘I Am Your God’ is released by Italians Do It Better
