The delicate, wounded sound of Kristine Leschper’s voice is the first thing that stands out from her band Mothers’s new release, When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired. Like a reed instrument, it trills and dips with a gentle dexterity that belies its strength. Her bandmates—drummer Matthew Anderegg, guitarist Drew Kirby, and bassist Patrick Morales—show self-possession and a nuanced understanding of how best to frame Leschper’s vulnerable voice, which has been compared to Angel Olsen, though it also alludes to Feist and even Cat Power at her most tender. Leschper’s songwriting accentuates the contrast between the nimble and the powerful, and this is what makes Mothers special. On their single, “Too Small For Eyes,” she sings:
I think I’m at my best
When nothing’s needing me
Walked softly as I could
And still I stepped on all their feet.
