Motherhood are an avant-rock band from New Brunswick who specialise in a psychedelic take on energetic punk rock. Their new single, ‘Shepherd’, might be their best work yet. It’s a punchy track, and one of the first they started writing for their new album. It allows all of the band’s most endearing qualities to combine, from catchy, harmonised melodies to a subtle to level of musical complexity. On the songwriting process, Penelope Stevens explains: “We spent a long time playing with major and minor transitions, taking inspiration from the Marty Robbin’s Gunfighter Ballads and old westerns. Then Brydon (Crain, singer) wrote the verses and chord progression, and we battled it all out until basically the night before we went into the studio. For being such a hard-won song, it ended up being one of our collective favourites, for sure." Their upcoming album, Winded, drops on June 24th, 2022. Be sure to check it out in all its strange glory. -Dan Peeke.