by Klaudio Krstić
Bursting with feral psychedelia, Love in a Vicious Way is a stylistic statement like no other. The debut album from Toronto’s Mother Tongues carefully walks the line between dreamy clarity and fierce intensity. On top of this clear contrast, they make sure to tackle everything in between, creating a beautiful mixture of gothic moodiness, colossal guitar riffs, and pristine pop hooks. The album cover matches the album’s sound, providing the listener with a glimpse of what’s to come: organic, beautiful chaos.
Intertwined with the chaotic soundscapes are clear themes of honesty, identity, and longing. What makes the album’s statements so clear is the focused creative vision and the musical interplay of the two bandmates, Lukas Cheung (guitar) and Charise Aragoza (bass and vocals). The crystal-clear creative vision and the strong themes underlying the album serve only to enhance every aspect of each track, highlighting the unique strengths and ideas contained within each individual song, while simultaneously connecting them to one another in a meaningful and inspired way. These themes are intertwined with cyberpunk influences which, combined with the clear execution, come together to create a one-of-a-kind experience bordering on worldbuilding. This special combination of influences and styles is bound to make the listener peer into the future from the romantic perspective of a teenager.
The album starts with “A Heart Beating,” a track which, other than being the album opener, was also the first single in the album cycle. The song begins with a strong clean guitar melody and quickly introduces a catchy vocal melody which remains a reoccurring theme throughout. The catchy character of the first track is instantly contrasted against the gritty guitars which form the introduction to “Dance in the Dark”. Although it starts off raw, the atmosphere soon shifts back into the catchy and airy soundscape, much like the opener. Of course, towards the end, the fierce guitars return, closing the song with a bang. The band contrasts the raw finale of the track with “Only You (Reprise),” an ambient synth soundscape filled with lush melodic and harmonic elements offering a short moment of respite after the intensity.
The reprise transitions into the title track, which continues the relaxing mood set up by the interlude. This dreamy haze transforms into a grand and dramatic experience, with layered melodies and themes present throughout the song. The grand momentum continues into “Only You,” characterized by driving rhythms, captivating melodies, and enchanting synth work, all fit for a goth club. The mood shifts once again with the next two tracks, “Drip Drip” and “2 Luv 2 Liv,” both justifying the “dream” in “dream-pop” by featuring bright melodies and smooth interplay between the vocals and instrumentals. A final interlude leads into the last two song, with “Worm Day” filled to the brim with hooks and catchy vocal melodies, and the piano-driven closer “Lonely Ones” ending the album in a melancholic tone. The darkness of the final track is accompanied by a hypnotic vocal motif, leading to an immaculate conclusion to a turbulent album.
With the album being a faithful auditory manifestation of emotional turbulence and a shifting identity, Mother Tongues have used a vast array of influences and aesthetics to create a unique and organic listening experience, one which has a life of its own. The world of Love in a Vicious Way is a perfect fit for anyone who wishes to embark on a journey through the intense to the ethereal, all the while finding fragments of themselves along the way.