Words by Rachel June

Tune in to the unique, eerie, and beautiful sound of IMISSMYMOM - a band that will take you by surprise with their distinctive vocals swirling among deep, impactful instrumentals. Their lyrics carry weight, and their message is wrapped in a glorious wonder of sound. They caught our eye with their pure uniqueness, so we sat down to dive deeper into the mystery of IMISSMYMOM.

Who Are IMISSMYMOM ?

Tennessee (Vocals), Kyle (Drums), Marley (Guitar), Cameron (Bass) and Tommy (2nd Guitar/Production). We are a band.

For Someone That Is Yet To Discover You, How Would You Describe Your Music ?

Tennessee: Vulnerable and alluring, but not in the way you’d expect. We draw you in gently, only to hit you with a wall of distortion and raw emotions. IMISSMYMOM is an Ouroboros: beauty and destruction, death and rebirth. An endless cycle of feeling too much and needing to tell the truth.

Cameron: Loud and Heavy. Abrasive and minimal.

Kyle: Psychedelic Doom. Put on Gruffalo, smoke a big joint and close your eyes.

Tommy: Grab a copy of the Gruffalo record and play it backwards, all your answers are right there!

What Inspired You As An Artist ?

Life. We all come from different backgrounds, Marley (Guitar) is a rapper from the group Ammi Boyz and solo indie rock artist. Cameron (Bass) is an established musician & composer currently touring with Sam Akpro. Kyle (Drums) is also a dj and venue owner at Deptford Junction. Tommy (Second Guitar) is a producer and mixing engineer for some of the biggest labels in the UK and also DJ and label boss at Nervous Horizon. Tennessee (Vocals) is a multi-disciplinarity artist with a background in painting and curation from Toronto, Canada.

All of this inspired us to be who we are now in IMMM.

What Is Your Pre-Show Routine ?

Kyle: Couple beers, a nice shit and always eat after the gig.

Where Do You Feel You Fit Into The Music Landscape ?

Tommy: We fit right in the middle of London’s new band revival.

What Are Your Favourite Musical Genres, And Are There Any You Dislike ?

We all like such different music… It’s hard to say.

Tennessee: I love dissociative music.

Tommy: Opera.

Kyle: Some heavy shit.

Is There A Story Behind The Band’s Name ?

Tennessee: Not really, during one of our fist jam’s I shouted the phrase “I mIss my mom”. I was speaking from a pure stream of consciousness. Without realising it, we were creating our namesake track. The next evening, Tommy and Marley were listening back to the demos with Cameron. While listening to the track (now titled “I Miss My Mom”) Cameron claimed it for us. He imagined people saying “going to that ‘MISSMYMOM gig tonight,” we liked it, and we went with it. Good vibes.

Kyle: Improv.

What would you say is your greatest strength/weakness is as an Band ?

Tennessee: We’re amazing when we come together, it's so beautiful. The sound we make when we’re locked-in is otherworldly, like direct from the source. When our individual worlds collide to become one it’s our biggest strength, because it happens so naturally. Which also makes it our biggest weakness. Shit just really falls apart when one of us decides to go on a solo side quest. IMISSMYMOM is as great as the sum of our parts.

Kyle: Our combined experiences.

Favourite Song Right Now ?

Tennessee: Xiu Xiu - Little Panda McElroy

Tommy: Susumu Hirasawa - 4 Gastu

Cameron: punxsutawney - green hills

Kyle: Life Tones - For a reason

What Music Artists Would You Say Have Influenced Your Work ?

Tennessee: Poly Styrene, Tina Bell, Sonic Youth, Bjork, Melt-Banana,

Kyle: Grateful Dead, Slint, Public Image Ltd

Cameron: Dmitri Shostakovich, Miles Davis, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Velvet Underground, Black Sabbath, Supertramp, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Portishead, The Horrors, The Acid, Death Grips, Mitsubishi Suicide

Tommy: The Pixies, Bjork, Splendora, The Breeders

Who Would You Most Like To Collaborate With Artistically ?

Tennessee: Kim Gordon

Tommy: Bjork

Cameron: God.

Kyle: Archy Marshall

What's Your Favourite Memory So Far ?

Tennessee: When we went to Switzerland, the whole trip was WILD.

Kyle: I lost my phone in Milan on the way to Switzerland. We stayed in the mountains for 4 days, and played the gig. We got back to Milan, and within an hour before getting on our flight back to London, I went to the city's lost and found office and got back my phone.

What’s Your Biggest Obstacle & How Did You Overcome It ?

As a band we’re still really young. Album one we were fresh from the primordial pool. Right now we’re crawling, standing and new to walking as a group. Recreating ephemeral jam moments in a live setting can be difficult, and also bring out the need for perfection. We’re really starting to understand and accept the possibilities or mistakes and embarrassment in an attempt to refine our sound and vision for the project, especially within a live setting.

Cameron: Losing hearing in one ear and dealing with constant tinnitus will always be high on the list of obstacles I’ve faced during my music career. But I think we’ve all faced loss, major setbacks, unexpected roadblocks and moments of opportunity that vanish as soon as they appear. You can’t overcome it, you can just channel it.

What Is Your Creative Process When Making Music ?

Tennessee: We jam, we listen back, then we write and define. Rinse & repeat.

Kyle: Getting in the studio, and hitting record on the iphone.

This Year, What Can We Expect ?

More music, more warehouse parties and more IMISSMYMOM.