Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten endured a summer of “parallel chaos” in 2022 tainted by infidelity, loneliness, heavy drinking, and the start of a new romance. Like a diamond under pressure, their separate yet intertwined turbulence crystallized their magnificent fourth album, Welcome to My Blue Sky. A balance of shared catharsis and diligent record-keeping, each of the twelve tracks boldly pummels towards the future.

Last October, the band, joined by Aron Kobayashi Ritch and Preston Fulks, released “Ohio All the Time,” as a standalone single. A manic and expansive flavor of grunge set the tone for their most self-assured yet brutally honest album to date. Friedman calls the fleeting moment behind the track as “living in our own little dream world.” They briefly exist in their limitless bubble of hedonism, ignoring the inevitable crashout.

Serving as a de facto Household Name tour diary, the two co-leaders slip between using music to escape from their reality and reconcile with it. “Rodeo,” which they wrote from the perspective of their former partners, owns up to past mistakes. Gut-punching lyrics beg for remorse and cower from others’ judgement. Like bull riding, the anguish compounds each second they remain tethered to their partner. Sticky riffs and saccharine snarls master the tension between resentment and rose-colored longing.

Meanwhile, “Bottle Blonde” assures Friedman and Weingarten’s past selves that everything will work out, but it’s also a timeless reassurance to their current selves. The clear-eyed opening line, “it’s hard on us/am I losing you?” could easily serve as the song’s thesis. “Bottle blonde, you’re a god/You’re gonna figure it out,” the lead duo coos with the quiet reassurance of hyping yourself up in the mirror. Moody synth loops and mellow vocals replace the bleary guitar and taut hooks found on “Stay All Summer” and “Sincerely.”

Despite an album largely about succumbing to indulgences, visceral pangs of “what will they think?” surface on “I Want You (Fever)” and “How to Breathe.” The lurking criticisms respectively fuel rabid main character syndrome (“Everybody knows that this is going down/We’re the talk of the town”) or foreboding guilt (“But mom and dad couldn’t know/I figured they would die without/seeing who I am in my home”). It’s easy to dismiss the opinions of others as “fan behavior,” but the ones that strike at the heart of insecurity will eat you alive.

Fuzzed-out closing track “My Old Street” is a tender tribute to their childhoods, which becomes increasingly challenging to reckon with as time goes on. “I’m still really nervous for certain people in my life to hear these songs; they all have a level of vulnerability that feels pretty scary,” Weingarten revealed. Always anchored by each other, Friedman reaffirmed their collective growth and dedication to “learning how to confess hard things.”

While touring last year, the band stopped at a gas station where they noticed a sign that said “Welcome to My Blue Sky.” What they originally thought was poetic turned out to be an ad for an oil company, but they nevertheless rushed to the venue and wrote the titular track, an ode to the touring experience and wistfully leaving creature comforts behind. As with the rest of the songs, they reflect on what they’ve sacrificed for their careers while reveling in what they’ve gained, personally and professionally, individually and collectively.

The once-scrappy band has traveled the world, opened for luminaries like Death Cab for Cutie and Weezer, and dealt with the consequences of their actions. It’s safe to say they’ve wisened up. They’re not afraid to shake the table and make a mess, but Welcome to My Blue Sky does so with a refined sense of precision and intention.

Pre-order Welcome To My Blue Sky by Momma HERE