In 2015, Philly indie rock singer-songwriter Madalean Gauze appeared on XPN’s all-Philly tribute to Patti Smith’s Horses for the landmark album’s 40th birthday. There was an indefinable quality of Gauze’s work up to that point — melodic yet cathartic, poetic and transcendent — that made us think she’d be a good fit for the gig, and in a way, it seems like the spiritual connection with Smith has stuck around in her new project Depression, Mom, who performed live in WXPN studios for this week’s Key Studio Session.
Gauze’s creative path in the years since has been freewheeling and unpredictable; by the end of the 20-teens, she was performing with up to six people in her band, delivering sneering stream-of-consciousness social commentary on gender and society with roaring punk energy. During COVID, she put her own music on the backburner to spearhead a string of benefit compilations of local artists to raise money for first responders. Debuting a new project on the other side, Depression, Mom made its introduction as a whimsical retro-pop band informed by 60s girl groups and Lawrence Welk kitsch. The release of their self-titled EP in spring of last year, followed by Before We Met in the fall, showed that they got much, much louder than we initially realized.
That continues in this explosive Key Studio Session, where the full Depression, Mom live band finds Gauze is backed by drummer Adam Shumski, keys player Mike Vivas, guitarist Armen Knox, and bassist Alexis J. Dundovic. The extremely catchy new tune “Silence” opens the set like a lost classic from the Paisley Underground; each successive song becomes more and more gripping. The rumbling “Like A Drug” roars into the even heavier “The Flood,” with the band’s eponymous song “Depression” ending the set on raga melodies, nervy bad-trip psychedelia, and frayed screams.
Watch their full performance below, and hear more by exploring Depression, Mom’s Bandcamp page. To see the band in person, mark Friday, July 7th on your calendar; Depression, Mom plays Ortlieb’s in Northern Liberties that night with The Bret Tobias Set and The 1910 Chainsaw Company. Tickets and more information can be found on WXPN’s Concerts and Events page.