Irish bubblegrunge five-piece Other Mother have teased what to expect from their upcoming debut EP with the release of lead single ‘anymore’, and it’s just the cathartic anthem someone out there may need right now.
The Cork-based quintet have had a whirlwind two years since taking the leap from cover sets to original music. Made up of Willow Esteve (voice), Bláthnaid Marsh (piano/keys), Fionn Cogan (guitar), Cathal O’Sullivan (bass) and Conor O’Regan (drums), they quickly gained traction on the Irish independent scene with their own flavour of danceable alternative rock, adding dimension to the standard foundation of heavy guitar music with electronic textures and unapologetic feminine rage. With the first taste of forthcoming EP Can’t Help But Feel Dramatic now out in the world, they’ve shown why anticipation around its release is building.
‘Anymore’ is a track heavy in every sense of the word. Musically, it’s a masterclass in tension and release, going all-in immediately before quickly pulling back and keeping the listener gripped as this give-and-take continues and the layers build. Tied together with deeply impassioned lyrics exploring themes of body image, self-perception and health, the song provokes emotion and creates a sense of resonance right from the first line: “Don’t you know that life’s not fair?”
“I wrote ‘anymore’ during a time in my life where I was quite unwell and was on a lot of medications. It’s based on the feelings of disgust I had towards my body and my health at the time. It’s sad to look back and see how hard I was on myself; this song is a reminder to me to be kinder to me and my body.” – Willow Esteve
It’s hard not to get lost in this song; it’s gritty, dark and mesmerising. Other Mother are storytellers, taking the listener on a journey through the inner psyche of a person trying to navigate their own thought process. The mind can wander and spiral as it seeks clarity, and the band reflect this frantic thinking in the music’s pacing. The instrumental itself is almost programmatic in the way it sets a scene, acting like a secondary narrator to the vocalist.
Cogan and Marsh are constants throughout, particularly shining in moments of tension, with their respective guitar and synth creating an eerie sense of unease that haunts the track. The rhythm section gives the impression of attempting to defy these insecurities when it joins in, with O’Sullivan’s bass restoring a sense of balance and O’Regan’s drums almost rebelling in a bid to break out of the intrusive thinking.
Esteve’s lyrics are emphasised by vocal inflections and repetition as the track progresses until a breaking point is reached, and that’s when ‘anymore’ climaxes in a true display of catharsis. The final chorus releases the emotional tension through beautifully sustained belt notes from Esteve, with the band as a whole reaching their dynamic peak. The drums and synth become particularly prominent here, as though emphasising how the thoughts continue to persist, along with the longing to be free of them. Afterwards, the song fades into an almost ghostly emptiness, short-lived before the band come crashing back in with a spontaneous reprise of the intro to close it out.
Other Mother know how to translate complex emotions into thought-provoking music, letting every instrument tell a different angle of the story. If this is just a teaser of what’s to come, anticipation for the rest of the EP is high.
The debut EP, Can’t Help But Feel Dramatic, is released on 8 October 2026.
Upcoming shows:
8 October – Wavelength, Cork City
16 October – Fred Zeppelins, Cork City
30 October – Swarmfest @ Savoy, Cork City
30 October – Wavelength, Cork City
Follow Other Mother on Instagram | TikTok | Website