Moms (album)

Moms
Studio album by Menomena
Released	September 18, 2012 (2012-09-18)
Genre	Experimental pop [1] rock
Length	50:09
Label	Barsuk
Menomena chronology
Mines (2010) Moms (2012)

Moms is the fifth studio album from the band Menomena. It was released on September 18, 2012.

Background

Following the release of their 2010 album Mines, member Brent Knopf left the group to focus on solo project Ramona Falls. Remaining members Danny Seim and Justin Harris continued on as a two piece. ^[2] Seim and Harris planned their next album to deal with the topic of mothers; Seim's mother had died when he was young, and Harris was raised largely by a single mother. ^[3]

Compared to the process of recording Mines, which was "gruelling" according to Seim, the Moms sessions were "our most collaborative and peaceful". ^[4]

Reception

The album received generally favorable reviews in music publications. On Metacritic, it received an 81/100 based on 23 reviews indicating "universal acclaim". ^[5] Pitchfork Media gave the album an eight out of ten rating and commented that the album was "the most aggressive record Menomena have ever made". ^[3] AllMusic felt the maternal theme was a "unifying" element and appreciated the album's "emotional depth". ^[6] The album peaked at #150 on the Billboard 200 chart and at #32 on the Independent Albums chart. ^[7]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100 [5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
The A.V. Club	B+ [8]
Consequence of Sound	[9]
DIY	[10]
Mojo	[11]
NME	8/10 [12]
Now	[1]
Pitchfork	8.0/10 [3]
Slant Magazine	[13]
Under the Radar	8.5/10 [14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Menomena.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Plumage"	4:12
2.	"Capsule"	4:04
3.	"Pique"	4:35
4.	"Baton"	3:12
5.	"Heavy Is As Heavy Does"	4:28
6.	"Giftshoppe"	5:02
7.	"Skintercourse"	4:00
8.	"Tantalus"	4:46
9.	"Don’t Mess With Latexas"	5:35
10.	"One Horse"	10:11
Total length:		50:09

Personnel

Menomena

• Justin Harris
• Danny Seim

References

1. Gillis, Carla (September 20, 2012). "Menomena – Moms | NOW". nowtoronto.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
2. Johnson, Tom (August 28, 2012). "Album Review // Menomena ~ Moms". GoldFlakePaint. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
3. Snapes, Laura. "Menomena: Moms". Pitchfork Media.
4. Snapes, Laura (July 12, 2012). "Update: Menomena: The Portland act talk about losing a member and their familial new LP, Moms". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
5. "MOMS by Menomena Reviews | Metacritic". metacritic.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
6. Heaney, Gregory. "Menomena: Moms". AllMusic . Retrieved September 19, 2012.
7. "Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
8. Moore, Steven (November 20, 2012). "Menomena: Moms". The A.V. Club . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
9. "Album Review: Menomena – Moms | Consequence". consequence.net. September 20, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
10. "MENOMENA - MOMS | DIY". diymag.com. September 17, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
11. Possibly it's the glorious touch of melodic grandiosity forming the heart of Don't Mess With Latexas that supplies the most climatic moment to remember amid this remarkable, kaleidoscopic offering. [Nov 2012, p.84]
12. "Menomena – 'Moms' | NME". nme.com. September 14, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
13. LeChevallier, Mike (September 30, 2012). "Review: Menomena, Moms | Slant Magazine". slantmagazine.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
14. "Issue #42 - The Protest IssueMenomena: Moms | Under the Radar". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved April 8, 2021.