By: Nina Bertuca
CHICAGO— With support from Indianapolis power pop group Wishy, up-and-coming LA-based rock band Momma took on a crowd of excited concert goers at sold-out Thalia Hall on Tuesday, May 20. With both bands having their highest number of Spotify listeners in Chicago, this was the largest Momma show yet.
Wishy, whose 2024 debut release Triple Seven was one of my top albums of the year, took the stage first. Opening with “Planet Popstar,” the title track off the band’s newest EP, the band quickly informed new listeners that they were in for a treat. With cutting guitar lines and punchy dual vocals from Kevin Krauter and Nina Pitchkites, Wishy delivered a set with all highs, no lows or dull points.
Wishy songs are remarkably easy to sing along and bop your head to, giving the crowd an energy boost. Closing the set with their heaviest track, “Spit,” Wishy left the crowd ready for more, all the while cementing themselves as heavy hitters in the midwestern indie rock scene.
Momma took the stage around 9pm, and the crowd’s energy was the highest I have seen in awhile for an indie rock show, especially considering that it was a rainy, cold Tuesday night. Fans fist-pumped and finger-pointed to every song, knowing the words to every track.
While most fans mirrored the band’s makeup of Gen Z, there was a sprinkling of Gen X viewers in the crowd, proving that good rock music translates to anyone. Highlights of the set included tracks such as “Ohio All the Time” and “Bottle Blonde.” Almost every track from the new album was featured on the setlist. The band closed the show with an encore of Narrow Head’s “Sunday” and their most popular track, “Speeding 72.”
Both Wishy and Momma split the difference between sweet, singable melodies and fuzzy distorted guitars, taking the helm of the burgeoning power pop revival, accompanied by bands like Dazy, Lifeguard, and Footballhead. It’s like the music you grew up listening to in your mom’s minivan started hanging at the local dive bar and got a tattoo. Not to mention, this power pop formula creates songs with potential to be real earworms– you’ll be humming them for days.
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