Experiencing a live stepmom performance is like stepping into a memory that’s been permutated by time. Fragments of a youthful bedroom — a lamp, a bed, an analog tv — literally set the stage for a four-piece ensemble that fittingly embraces as a part of its acoustic-electric DNA the lush intimacy of chamber music. stepmom truly is the orchestral dream punk manifestation of an inner consciousness.
That consciousness belongs to lead singer and guitarist Lindsey Cox. Meditating on the plight of the human spirit striving to thrive in a world of systematic pervasiveness, Cox and her bandmates weave deeply conscious and subconscious themes into dreamy three part harmonies, ambient cello, and synth contrasted with angsty guitar riffs and powerful lead vocals.
As a core member of acclaimed, currently-on-hiatus Oklahoma City rock band The So Help Me’s, Cox pulls from her experience in that group as well as newfound influences at Factory Obscura to spin stepmom’s philosophical contemplations into both concrete and intangible art. The project’s multimedia palette of expression is as arresting as its growing musical repertoire.
Formed initially between Cox and accomplished violinist Danielle Szabo in 2018, what would become stepmom steadily grew from a two-piece experimental whim to a full quartet. With cellist Cheyenne Rain straddling the roles of bass player and string performer and drummer Bradley Morris filling out the lineup, stepmom is exceptionally dynamic. The band’s songs range from soft melancholy to rambunctious rebellion. Whether leaning acoustic or electric, all of it is sonically organic.
stepmom is also the rare exception to the male-dominated music industry, boasting a female presence not just in its foremost member, but in backing support as well.
“After meeting Danielle and Cheyenne the pieces really began to fall into place,” says Cox. “I was looking for strong female musicians and really hit the jackpot. I think it’s really important to have female representation in the music scene.”
“Paper & Wax”, stepmom’s debut single, is available on all music platforms, and their latest, “Sad Disco”, is exclusively part of Factory Obscura’s Mixtape Vol. 1 cassette release. Two more singles are on the way, and the band expects to unveil a debut album in early summer 2020. Fans of Neutral Milk Hotel, The White Stripes, Angel Olsen, and/or Sufjan Stevens will likely find something to love in the music of stepmom.
For more information and to listen to their music, visit stepmom’s listing in the Oklahoma Music Directory.
Press
“Maybe the best melding of Oklahoma rock music and string arrangements since post-rockers The Non played with the Cloud Collision Orchestra ten years ago.”
-Make Oklahoma Weirder