Fostermother Premiere “Seasons” Video; The Ocean out Feb. 18
Posted in Bootleg Theater, Reviews on January 6th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Houston, Texas-based psych-doomers Fostermother make their label debut on Ripple Music Feb. 18 with The Ocean, their second album. The now-trio, on-this-record-studio-duo and former-solo-project are veterans of the inaugural RippleFest Texas last year, and their self-titled first record was issued in 2020, and while we’re doing numbers, I’ll note further that “Seasons” — premiering below — is the third video they’ve put out to herald The Ocean‘s arrival. and there’s still more than a month to go before the release. Advance notice, then, has been duly served.
Like the prior clips for “Hedonist” and “Sunday” — must be awfully convenient when you can handle these things DIY-style and not have it look like crap — “Seasons” is drawn from side A of The Ocean, and it finds Fostermother spearhead Travis Weatherred leading the proceedings with a particularly thick-feeling roller of a riff that builds on the lumbering melancholia of the album’s opener, “Sunday” and finds a groove somewhere between Monolord with and October Rust-era Type O Negative, the latter also seemingly referenced in the vocal melody and effects. Weatherred, who also drums on the LP, drops the guitar later on and Stephen Griffin‘s bass comes to the fore as if to emphasize a doomed drudgery, but though the mood is familiar, their preach to the converted is sure to find willing ears, as did their self-titled prior.
“Seasons” is the missing link between “Sunday” and “Hedonist,” which is faster and hookier, but The Ocean continues to unfold across a broader range as it goes, with “Dark Desires” tapping even speedier push given righteous physicality by its low end and the centerpiece “Unholiest of Days” meeting its grim title with a Cathedral-esque verse/chorus patterning and a genuine boogie groove in something of a surprising turn. 
They slow it down, to be sure, but just for a bell-toller of a bridge before the main riff returns and they Sabbath swing back through the chorus again to finish out. I’m not entirely sure where the split between the two halves of the vinyl is, but “The Ocean” serves as a landmark on the album that shares its title, whether or not it’s the beginning of side B, moving from a mid-paced density into a stretch of quieter guitar, bass and drums before layered vocals bring back a larger incarnation of the riff.
Of course, they’re not the first to make big, thick-sounding noises at high volumes and liken them to massive bodies of water and/or tidal forces — likewise the emotional undercurrent contained in the material — but “The Ocean” makes a kind of chant of its title, a sub-mantra, and thereby conveys a sense of awe to go with its manifestation of plod, that last aspect brought forward in “Arrival,” which, indeed, feels like one. Classically doomed, it’s an engaging setup for “Redeemer,” which in its floating melodic vocal, tempo kick and sharper-edged riff reminds more of the Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats school of garage heavy, if holding its emphasis on the ‘heavy’ end of that bargain. A prog break in the middle is more subterfuge, as they return to the verse before ending with a chugging breakdown topped with an echoing guitar lead; unexpected and all the more welcome for that.
Who are you, Fostermother? At 6:37, the finale and longest inclusion, “Solitude” — not a Candlemass cover — answers the question with a fitting summary of elements on display across The Ocean in its tonal and emotional weight, melody and willingness to speak to ideas classic and modern to make its point. The mournful progression of guitar that, as a lead and then just as the riff itself, carries the song and album to a finish isn’t so much a grand ending as a tie-up for the entirety of the preceding LP. It makes the point rather than overstates it, and that difference makes the whole impression Fostermother make throughout The Ocean more sincere, and deeper-feeling than something simply executing ‘heavy’ for its own sake.
The depressive current of The Ocean is on full display in the video for “Seasons,” which, as one might imagine, features a lot of staring, both at the camera and off at other stuff. Action-packed it isn’t, but in its atmosphere it speaks to one of Fostermother‘s greater strengths, and something they’ll hopefully continue to explore as they move forward from here. A band who can nod, shuffle, push and plod like this is one thing. A band who can do all that and have something to say is something else.
Enjoy:
Fostermother, “Seasons” video premiere
Music Video for “Seasons” off the upcoming Fostermother album “The Ocean” on Ripple Music. Slated for Vinyl/CD/Digital release on February 18, 2022
Video by Fostermother
FOSTERMOTHER New album ‘The Ocean’
Out February 18th on Ripple Music: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
Frontman Travis Weatherred about the album: “The album is largely about dealing depression and isolation. It also speaks on individuals who would eagerly trade everything and everyone in the pursuit of their own self-interest all while casting judgment on others. These behaviors have a negative impact on friends, family, and society as a whole. Depression is viewed in two ways lyrically; a lack of desire to take care of yourself and the drive to move past it by seeking redemption and new motivations. The Ocean represents Isolation in society. I often find my healing/coping process is found best when I clear my thoughts in quiet room which is where the album ends.”
All music was written and performed by Travis Weatherred (vocals, guitar, synth, drums) and Stephen Griffin (bass, keys, and additional guitar). It was produced and mixed by Travis Weatherred. The artwork was designed by UK-based painter Ryan T. Hancock.
FOSTERMOTHER is
Travis Weatherred – Guitar, Vocals
Stephen Griffin – Bass
Jason Motamedi – Drums
I usually don’t go in for comps, if only because there’s generally no flow to them whatsoever, but there are enough bands I’ve never heard of on the French two-disc offering (Ocoai, Monachus, Kalkh-In(Joy) Erode, etc.) Falling Down II, mixed with enough of the familiar (Ufomammut, Kongh, Farflung, etc.) that I’m interested to hear how it comes out. The best part might be that it’s made up almost entirely of previously unreleased material.
