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Promote Your Music On An Independent Budget

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Keep Your Rap Lyrics & Flow Fresh

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Whether it’s bragging about your strength, future fame, or taking on rivals, it can feel repetitive and uninspiring after a while. So, what do you do when you’re tired of writing the same thing...

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How to Start a Band and Get Your First Gig: Lessons from Music Legends

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Starting a band and getting your first gig can feel like a daunting task, especially when you’re juggling a full-time job and a passion for music. But don’t worry—many famous musicians have been in...

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Find Music Creators Who Share Your Genre Interests: Navigating Online Music Communities

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If you’ve been searching for musicians who share your passion for breakcore, drum and bass, jungle, or other less mainstream genres on platforms like BandLab, it can be frustrating to feel like...

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Find the Right Manager for Your Music Career—Even If You're Just Starting Out

September 3, 2024

The idea of hiring a traditional manager might seem premature, but finding someone who can handle your online presence and help you network could be exactly what you need to take your career...

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How to Be a Successful Songwriter When You Can’t Play an Instrument

August 26, 2024

If you’re a songwriter who can sing but can’t play an instrument, you may feel like you’ve hit a roadblock in your creative journey. You have the ideas in your head, but you’re unsure how to turn...

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What Is the Point of Mastering If the Mix Is Good? A Guide to Understanding Mastering's Role

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Write a Vocal Melody That Stands Out: Tips for Phrasing and Dynamics

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If you’ve been writing music for a decade but are just starting to dive into vocal melodies, you’re not alone in facing challenges with phrasing and creating vocal dynamics that don’t feel repetitive.

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Add FX and Ear Candy to Your Tracks: Tips for Taking Your Sketch to the Next Level

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Adding FX and ear candy can feel like a daunting task, especially when you start to overthink the process. However, these little details are often what bring a track to life, adding depth, excitement.

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Recreate a Vocal Stutter Effect Like Skrillex: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Get a Great Sounding Synth: The Deadmau5 Approach

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If you’ve been experimenting with synthesizers, you know the quest for a perfect synth sound can be a challenging but rewarding process. Whether you’re looking for something clean yet huge, or...

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Make Music Again: Overcoming Creative Burnout Like Pharrell Williams

August 21, 2024

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Nostalgia, Lightness, and Authenticity: A Conversation with Mother Mother’s Ryan Guldemond

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Living Lightly in Sound: Mother Mother’s “Nostalgia” and the Art of Staying True to Yourself

In a world that feels heavier by the day, music has a way of lifting us back up. Nostalgia, the latest album from indie alt-rock icons Mother Mother, is a reminder that art can be both weightless and deeply grounding — a record that invites us to look back, but live forward, with openness, creativity, and joy.

Across the album, the band weaves together themes of authenticity, playful innovation, and emotional courage — values that echo the idea of living lightly. Whether it’s through stripped-down moments of vulnerability or bursts of experimental sound, Nostalgia feels like an open invitation to move through life with curiosity, kindness, and color.

Creating from the Heart

The making of Nostalgia wasn’t just about perfecting arrangements or chasing trends — it was about chasing feelings. Frontman Ryan Guldemond describes their creative compass as purely emotional:

“Is it giving me that rush? Is it making me feel more like myself?”

In one of our conversation clips, Ryan explains why letting emotions lead in the studio made the music better — and why “the proof is in the pudding.”

Serving Others by Serving Yourself

One of the most striking parts of Nostalgia is how personal it feels — and that’s no accident. Ryan’s advice to the next generation of music creators is to stir your own soul before trying to stir anyone else’s.

Ryan unpacks the beautiful irony that the less you worry about pleasing others, the more they connect with your work — and why that’s the most freeing advice you’ll ever hear.

The Heart of “Nostalgia”

The album is full of moments that invite you to embrace the bittersweet beauty of change — to carry the past with you without letting it weigh you down.

Each song feels like its own little act of activism — a reminder that even the smallest acts of honesty and joy can ripple outward. Just as Nostalgia encourages us to remember without being trapped in the past, it also invites us to imagine lighter, brighter ways forward.

Because in the end, living lightly isn’t about ignoring the weight of the world — it’s about finding ways to carry it together, with open hands, open hearts, and maybe even a song on repeat.

Listen Lightly

Whether you’re discovering Mother Mother for the first time or have been singing along for years, Nostalgia is more than just an album — it’s a reminder that staying true to yourself is the boldest, lightest step you can take. And don’t miss the full conversation with Ryan Guldemond on the Sonical.ly Podcast—where he shares more about the making of the album and staying true to your creative voice.

🎧 Listen to Nostalgia wherever you stream music — and let it inspire your own small acts of joy.

Tracklist:

Side A:

Love to Death

Make BelieveStation

Wagon

ON AND ON (Song for Jasmin) - (focus track)

Better of Me

Namaste

Side B:

FINGER

Me & You

little mistake

Mano a Mano

NostalgiaTo Regret

Nostalgia, Lightness, and Authenticity: A Conversation with Mother Mother’s Ryan Guldemondnostalgia-lightness-and-authenticity-a-conversation-with-mother-mothers-ryan-guldemondElmo ChongAug 20, 2025Nostalgia, Mother Mother’s latest album, is one of those rare creations. It invites us into a world where lightness isn’t escapism—it’s a form of resistance, a beacon of hope, and a path forward....