Love In a Vicious Way, the reflective debut album from Toronto’s Mother Tongues, is a carefully crafted cyber-psych opus that lurks between the cerebral and feral. At moments, precious and serene; in a blink, snarling, teeth razor-sharp. Its 10 songs about love, longing, desire, and identity are charged with a sincerity and teenage sentimentalism that captures a time when everything was crucial and felt tenfold. Love In A Vicious Way sees the band carving out a space for themselves: they are world-building. Like some rare bird mimicking the machines at the edge of the forest, the album echoes the beauty, darkness, and weight of life in these ever-changing times. “It’s an exploration of the darker ways we love, the parts with teeth,” says guitarist/vocalist Lukas Cheung, explaining the record’s title. “It possesses you, it’s a pit you fall into. Love overtakes you, this record is about surrendering to that feeling.”

“Mother Tongues savvily blur the line between ’60s psych pop and ’90s dream pop, while feeding orchestral elements, Gainsbourgian grooves, and strobe-lit electronics into their cinematic swirl. But Mother Tongues are distinguished by their sense of unrest. Immersing yourself in their lustrous sound world is easy; making it out peacefully is another matter.” - Pitchfork

"There's a muted quality to Mother Tongues' music that acts as a thin veil over the darkness that lurks at the heart of their alt-rock songs." - The FADER