Mother Tongues is the creative partnership of Lukas Cheung and Charise Aragoza, two musicians who met a decade ago in Toronto’s DIY punk scene and who immediately connected over the plight of growing up in Canada as the children of immigrant parents. As their forthcoming debut album Love in a Vicious Way suggests, Cheung and Aragoza’s friendship is also held together by a mutual love of both the dense, gothy textures of The Cure and the breezy dream-pop sounds of Alvvays, with plenty of intriguing cultural reference points outside the realm of music sandwiched in between. “It’s a little William Gibson, a little cyberpunk, it’s lit like a Wong-Kar-Wai film,” Cheung has shared of the project’s vision of the future they aim to channel. “It’s queer, it’s free, a little goth, everyone’s wearing eyeliner.”
While their prior single “A Heart Beating” leaned into the lighter side of things, its brand new follow-up “Worm Day” explores darker sounds bordering on vintage shoegaze. Meanwhile, the video for the track serves as an homage to the band’s immediate circle of peers, combining vibrant animation with candid footage of the band, a live performance of the track, and more conventional music video imagery wherein the group emphasizes those influences listed above. “The video is a little window into our universe, a celebration of the people and adventures that have gotten us to where we are,” Cheung shares. “A collage of footage from tours, studio performances, artwork from our brilliant friends, and other little snapshots from our lives.”
Check out the video and the band’s upcoming tour dates below, and expect Love in a Vicious Way out July 21 via Wavy Haze Records.
06/02 - Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern *
06/03 - Kingston, ON - Hotel Wolfe Island *
06/04 - Montreal, QC - Diving Bell *
06/07 - St. John's, NL - Lawnya Vawnya Festival
06/10 - Sarnia, ON - Maud's Variety
06/23 - Calgary, AB - Sled Island Music Festival~
07/27 - Peterborough, ON - Jethro's Bar
08/05 - Sackville NB, - SappyFest
* with The Mattson 2
~ with Pom Pom Squad
