No Culture is as much a societal statement as it is a prescription front man Ryan Guldemond wrote for himself before penning 10 new songs which comprise Mother Mother’s sixth studio album.

Having used drugs and alcohol to self-medicate since youth, Guldemond decided this as a means to self-actualization and creative zenith was in fact, not working. So he set out to explore life, songwriting, and himself, clear of mind and substance for the course of one year. During this time, No Culture was written and recorded. The result is the most emotionally honest, vulnerable and least cynical album the Vancouver quintet has put out to date.

By removing himself from this social arena, or culture so to speak, with which he largely identified, Guldemond found the freedom to explore lyrical concepts unfiltered by persona and predisposition. This made for less allegorical and conceptual writing, such that the band is known for, and allowed the material to venture into more autobiographical terrain.

This shift in method, and lifestyle, was not met without its challenges, one being a stubborn bout of writer’s block, which Guldemond battled by holing up on his native Quadra Island, where he coerced the muse relentlessly for 6 weeks in the fall and winter of 2015. You can hear this struggle chronicled in the anthemic and dichotomously upbeat track “Love Stuck”, where Guldemond bemoans a condition of emotional paralysis by virtue of over thinking “I’ve got my love stuck in my head/ I’ve got my love stuck in my throat.” But this frustrated self-diagnosis is not without hope for recovery “I’ve got to keep my love in my heart/ I’ve got to give my love to my soul, and let go.” It is this knowing sense of love-wins that underpins the album, giving context and purpose to the recurring theme of sinful admission.

In “Baby Boy”, Guldemond treats the verses as a confessional box, admitting his penchant for self destruction, deceit, and diehard adolescence, while Molly Guldemond, his sister and fellow founding member takes the lead with a melodic intervention, “Baby boy, baby brother, we’re losing you to the gutter.” Molly also shines on the closing track “Family,” an endearing account of the idiosyncrasies and unconditionality inherent to kinship.

“The Drugs,” the band’s driving first single is an address to a lover, deeming her the ultimate high and antidepressant, while “Letter”, Mother Mother’s first piano ballad, nostalgically recruits the age old theme of unrequited love by way of handwritten loneliness.

This idea of stripping oneself of cultural affectation in order to return to their true essence is embodied in the album’s artwork, created by the band’s artist-in-residence Molly Guldemond, who is responsible for all of Mother Mother’s imagery to date.

On the cover, adeptly reflecting No Culture's visceral themes, you'll find a white washed baby doll dabbling in black paint, depicting the immediate imprint society makes on us once we enter the world.


Mother Mother is:
Ryan Guldemond: Vocals, Guitars, Keys, and Programming
Molly Guldemond: Vocals and Synth
Jasmin Parkin: Vocals and Keys
Ali Siadat: Percussion and Electronics
Mike Young: Bass