By Joe Metro
Readers, I have a confession to make. I’m not proud of this at all. For longer than I’d like to admit, I thought Mom Dad & Me was an artsy, female-lead, bedroom indie-pop cottagecore band, despite having known the bass player for well over a year. (To be fair, I was first introduced to Spencer Jeppson as the bass player for Head Above Water long before I knew he was in Mom Dad & Me.) Am I ashamed of this assumption? Yes. Will I apologize for my ignorance? Absolutely not. I have no respect for those who disregard the Oxford comma so blatantly.
Margo’s House provides such a nostalgic feeling for me. There is an incredible amount of warmth in these tunes. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the early aughts with a sister nine years older than me who devoured indie cult-classic coming-of-age movies and Margo’s House exemplifies the feeling during the conclusion when everything is wrapped up in a nice bow. Guy saves the day, gets the girl, and passes Mr. Grant’s math final so he doesn’t have to do summer school, ensuring he has the most righteous summer possible.
Mom Dad & Me does something I love twice on this record: They give us two instrumental tracks. If you know anything about me, then you know I absolutely go feral for instrumental indie songs. “Lucid” does a great job of setting the tone for the album as its opening track. It is very ethereal and it just begs you to lay in a field as you contemplate life’s wonders and all it has in store for you. “Polygon” scratches an itch in my brain I didn’t know needed scratching. The math rock riff hits so well, and the blend of instruments fit so nicely without anything feeling like it’s too much. The fellas did a bang-up job writing this track.
“Caroline” may be in my top five favorite songs from this record. It also has my favorite line as well. “So I go down to Vivian’s river so she can ‘change my heart of snow’.” It is so satisfying to hear Sam Andersen sing this line and to sing along with it. The tone on the lead guitar is stellar. I asked my roommate how he’d describe the lead melody riff and he said it gives him Michael Cera energy. “It’s the quiet friend in the group, who isn’t really quiet, but more so chill and laid back.”
“BFG” is most likely where I get those nostalgic feelings from. The lyrics speak fondly of a childhood friend Margo and their desire to go back to Margo’s house. The perspective from the narrator indicates Margo is a safe person, someone who they can play with and be comfortable around. I relate to this heavily, whether it be with old friends that I have since moved away from or with my siblings and the fact that our relationship dynamic has changed since we were young.
Okay, let’s all have a chat. There has been some discourse revolving around Mom Dad & Me’s genre. Two of my fellow Provo Music Magazine writers have labeled the band as Midwest emo. If push comes to shove, I’d say there’s definitely elements of Midwest emo here, but I’m not fully satisfied. If I wanted to, I could say the band is a mix of indie and bedroom pop with hints of math rock as they pull inspiration from Pinegrove and other similar bands. I could also say instead of Midwest emo, they are more akin to mountainwest emo — instead of writing sad songs and whining about life in Toledo, Ohio, you write sad songs and whine about life up in the Provo Canyon. At the end of the day, I’ll keep it nice and simple: Mom Dad & Me is an indie band through and through, and I am happy to leave it there.
With that being said, Margo’s House is exactly my type of indie record. I am not afraid to call this record my top album released this year. We’re only halfway through the year, but I am confident Margo’s House will stay pretty high. In the absolute best kind of way, this record reminds me of the band Peach Pit or Coldplay’s Parachutes. I cannot recommend this record enough and look forward to all of you enjoying it as much as I have.
Margo’s House is out today, July 25, 2025, and is available on all major streaming platforms. Check out Mom Dad & Me on Instagram! Listen to Caroline on Spotify!