Mom Jeans
- Indie rock
- pop punk
- emo[1]
- Midwest emo[2]
- Counter Intuitive
- Big Scary Monsters
- Eric Butler
- Bart Thompson
- Austin Carango
- Sam Kless
- Josh Perline
- Matt Falls
- Gabriel Paganin
- Billy Bouzos
Mom Jeans (stylized Mom Jeans.) is an American alternative rock/indie rock[3] band formed in Berkeley, California in 2014.
History
Mom Jeans found their start in early 2014 at UC Berkeley, with drummer Austin Carango and lead singer Eric Butler. The duo recorded Spring Demo in May 2014, a six-track EP which would later be released as the band's self-titled debut on cassette tape by Northern California-based label, Fourth Row Records. Tracks on Spring Demo feature only Eric and Austin in an acoustic style, while the later release of the self-titled EP included electric instrumentation with new additions, Josh Perline on bass/vocals, and David McDowall on drums; McDowall left the band shortly after release. Later that summer, the trio recorded their last EP before their first full-length album, titled Allergic which featured Austin switching to drums, Josh switching to guitar, and bass recordings being handled by both members. Post-release, Gabriel "Gabe" Paganin joined the band as live bassist and Josh Perline exited the band on good terms.
Mom Jeans self-released their first full-length album, Best Buds, on July 3, 2016. Like their self-titled EP, the album was first released on cassette tape by Fourth Row Records. Soon thereafter, the group signed with Massachusetts-based label Counter Intuitive Records, who then re-released the band's first full-length album on vinyl in November 2016.
On March 7, 2017, Mom Jeans released a split EP with the Fresno-based band Graduating Life. Afterward, Bart Thompson of Graduating Life and Meet Me in Montauk became a guitarist for the band.
On October 6, 2017, Counter Intuitive Records released another split EP titled NOW That's What I Call Music Vol. 420, featuring music from Mom Jeans as well as the bands Pictures of Vernon and Prince Daddy & The Hyena.[3][4]
The same month, the band announced they had signed with SideOneDummy Records, and had plans to release their second album through the label in 2018. However, in a reddit post, Eric Butler confirmed that they would no longer be working with the label and instead continue to work with Counter Intuitive Records to release their second album.[5][6]
The band's second full-length album, Puppy Love, was released on July 3, 2018[7] with Counter Intuitive Records, as well as a limited independent label run of the record and a select variant being put out by UK based label Big Scary Monsters.
In early 2019, the band began recording demos for a new LP, named Sweet Tooth, following the departure of Gabriel Paganin. In fall, it was announced the band would be touring with Hobo Johnson, featuring guest bassist Billy Bouzos (owner of the Oakland-based indie label Slang Church) filling in for Sam Kless. Sweet Tooth was released on February 25, 2022, with the first single What's Up? being released on September 28, 2021.[8]
On November 13, 2023 the band announced their next studio album, Bear Market. The album comprises rerecorded songs from their previous albums. The new reimagined songs followed the band's previous single, Alameda County Fair, into a new "poppier" and produced sound. The album was released on November 17, 2023.
Band members
Current members
- Eric Butler – vocals, guitar, trombone (2014–present)
- Austin Carango – drums, trumpet (2014–present)
- Bart Thompson – guitar, vocals (2017–present)
- Sam Kless – bass (2019–present)
Past members
- Josh Perline – guitar, bass
- Matt Falls – drums
- Gabriel Paganin – bass
- Billy Bouzos – bass
Discography
Studio albums
- Best Buds (2016)
- Puppy Love (2018)
- Sweet Tooth (2022)
- Bear Market (2023)
EPs
- Mom Jeans/Graduating Life Split EP (2017, Riff castle records, Counter Intuitive Records)
- Mom Jeans/Prince Daddy & The Hyena/Pictures of Vernon - "NOW That's What I Call Music Vol. 420" (2017, Counter Intuitive Records)
References
- ^ "The New Age of Emo: Mom Jeans, Just Friends, and Unity in the Scene". Truman Media Network. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Mom Jeans to introduce The M-Shop to "party emo"". Iowa State Daily. 2018-09-13. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- ^ a b Enis, Eli. "Prince Daddy and the Hyena play Pittsburgh's Mr. Roboto Project". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ "Mom Jeans. sign to SideOneDummy Records and release split with Prince Daddy & the Hyena and Pictures of Vernon". Punktastic. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ Shotwell, James (10 October 2017). "Everyone's favorite band, Mom Jeans., joins SideOneDummy Records". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ Ozzi, Dan (22 March 2018). "What Happened to One of Indie Rock's Most Promising Record Labels?". Noisey. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ "Mom Jeans: Puppy Love (2018)". Punknews. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "This is Everything You Need to Know About Mom Jeans' New Album 'Sweet Tooth' - News". Archived from the original on 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2021-09-30.