It wouldn’t be fair to lump Swedish Psych/Occult Folk duo Moon Mother in as just another band of the dark/esoteric folk genre. In fact, after hearing their 2026 release, Meadowlands, it’s safe to say that Moon Mother is hands down one of the best bands in the genre, and I do not say that lightly.
Making up the creative core of Moon Mother, lead vocalist Sara Mehner and guitarist Patriec Ahlström don’t root themselves in the traditional folk sound, and they never push the envelope too far into the more modern dark folk movement. We already have Emma Ruth Rundle and Chelsea Wolfe doing that, so instead of getting just another Emma or Chelsea, we get Moon Mother, who has ushered in a whole new era of dark/esoteric folk music.
Moon Mother is something old, something new, something borrowed, and something darker, borrowing from the folkies of old, such as Joan Baez, Sandy Denny, and Melanie, with warm, moody compositions and a voice that can only be described as uncomfortably comforting. Singer Sara Mehner also channels early-and mid-’90s Natalie Merchant, which I feel takes the songs to a whole other level, offering up a sliver of “modern” to create a distinct sound that I’ve never heard from another band.
“High Houses” is exactly how I would imagine Joan Baez if she took it a step further and channeled all her emotional anguish and global frustration through a distortion pedal and forceful strumming, only to bring it back down to the ground again.
“World in a Glass Jar” had me feeling like I was a bowl of warm pudding with its acoustic/piano-driven form of doom music. I mean, I’ve never taken heroin in my entire life, and I don’t plan on it, but I would bet that it feels like this song. It is so warm, so addictive, and just over five minutes long, I needed it again, and again, and again.
The title track, “Meadowlands,” is my favorite on the album, with its slow-burning, dark Western Americana vibe. This track had me forgetting that Moon Mother isn’t from the Midwest. On this track, they captured the grit and the sandy winds of the desert, creating a campfire setting where I could picture myself being serenaded to sleep.
Only being a month old or so, I can’t count how many times I’ve listened to Meadowlands already, and I am showing no signs of getting tired of it. Every time I listen, something hits just a little bit differently. It’s a pretty amazing thing when an album is so good that you lie in bed thinking about it and then must listen to it to appease the hunger. Meadowlands is as much a visual album as an audio album. The obscure, dark, and at times menacing and dreadful (in a good way) lyrics paint vivid imagery that takes me to another plane of existence. Listening to Meadowlands is an emotional listen, and while I was listening, nothing else mattered. Any of the bullshit, drama, and anxiety that weighs me down was left at the gate upon my entry into their realm. All I can say is that all other bands putting out albums in 2026 better be on their game and paying attention because Meadowlands just may be the best album of 2026, and it’s only March.
What sets Moon Mother apart from others in the genre is that they manage to pull off the same eerie, cerebral, and discomforting vibe as other artists in the genre, and achieve the same endgame, only they make it sound effortless, almost as if they created the movement themselves, allowing others to follow. While they may have been riding under the radar, Moon Mother, I predict that sooner than later, they will be on everyone’s radar and have them all saying, “Where did this come from?” Well, it came from Sweden, and its name is Moon Mother.
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