Indigo De Souza doesn’t need anyone to love her as she loves her mom more than any of you fools; this is declared in track 8, ‘ghost,’ part of the 2018 album “I love My Mom.” The cover of the album displays a skeletal maternal-figure reaching out towards her infant amidst a psychedelic forest, with arms stretched wide, reaching supportively… This whimsical cover, detailing a vision De Souza once had, was in fact painted by no other than her mother – Kim Oberhammer.
Similar to the album art depiction, the listener feels cradled, as they embark on a haunting yet comforting journey. Every track is confessional and critical in regard to self and relationships. The record exudes confidence, self-reliance, independence with a heap of existentialism. DIY – recorded and produced in De Souza’s bedroom, the depiction of love and death remain gothically tied at the hip throughout the album.
The biggest love story explored throughout the album is the story of her and her mother.
De Souza talks about her mother in many interviews. She explains how her mother introduced her to music: from buying her first music lessons, records and tape recorder to teaching her the bigger lessons on self expression and individuality. Growing up in a town called Spruce Pine, DeSouza recalls her experiences in school which left her feeling alienated. As a mixed-race daughter of a Brazilian bossa nova guitarist and a mother whose naked-barbie-doll adorned truck would pick her up from school she grappled with isolation in her small conservative town in the mountains, before moving to Asheville at the age of 16.
Her mother-in many ways was her muse and her support: she gave her the confidence to play in front of audiences and inspired her writing themes from a very young age. In an interview with Ladygunn magazine, she remembers performing a song at the age of 11 which detailed her coming to terms with the mortality of her mother and the fear of losing the thing she loved the most.
De Souza’s lyrics radiate her visceral honesty as she unapologetically airs her existential, morbid, and sometimes even satirical thoughts on themes ranging from romance, climate change and most importantly her mother.
This album is a must listen: it is vibrant, lyrical, and is the most visceral sonic depiction of a mother and daughter relationship which truly strikes a chords and leaves you content and comforted yet yearning for more.
By Abigail Hunt