It starts with that jittery, nervous guitar line. Then Ryan Guldemond’s voice kicks in, sounding exactly like the inside of a panic attack. If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Tumblr over the last decade, you’ve heard it. Problems by Mother Mother isn't just a track from an indie rock record released back in 2008; it’s become a sort of digital anthem for the chronically anxious and the beautifully messy.
Music is weird like that. A band from Vancouver writes a song about self-loathing and dysfunctional relationships during the Bush administration, and suddenly, fifteen years later, it’s soundtracking millions of short-form videos. But why? Honestly, it’s because the song doesn't try to fix you. It just sits there in the dirt with you.
The Chaotic Energy of O My Heart
To understand Problems by Mother Mother, you have to look at the album it lived on. O My Heart was the band's second studio effort, produced by Howard Redekopp, who also worked with Tegan and Sara. You can hear that influence—the sharp edges, the sudden shifts in dynamics, and those piercing harmonies from Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin.
The song is short. It’s barely three minutes long. Yet, it manages to pack in a lifetime of neurosis. It doesn’t follow a standard pop trajectory where things get better in the bridge. Instead, it leans into the idea that having "problems" is actually the common ground we all share. It's a cynical take on human connection, suggesting that we don't fall in love with people's virtues, but rather how their jagged edges fit into our own.
Breaking Down the Lyrics
The opening lines are iconic. "You and me, we're not the same / I am a sinner, you are a saint." It sets up a binary that the rest of the song immediately tears down. By the time the chorus hits, the distinction between the "good" person and the "bad" person has totally evaporated.
The repetition of "I've got problems" isn't a plea for help. It’s a statement of fact. It’s basically a handshake. Ryan’s delivery is frantic, almost manic. It mirrors the feeling of trying to explain your baggage to someone new while secretly hoping they don't run for the hills. Or, more accurately, hoping they have enough baggage of their own to stay.
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Why TikTok Resurrected a 2008 Indie Track
It's kinda wild how the internet chooses what to revive. Mother Mother experienced a massive surge in 2020, largely driven by the "Alt TikTok" community. Songs like "Hayloft," "Arms Tonite," and Problems by Mother Mother found a new generation of listeners who felt alienated from mainstream, polished pop.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha listeners gravitated toward the band’s exploration of gender, identity, and mental health. The theatricality of the vocals—the way they shout-sing and use high-pitched harmonies—creates a "theatre kid" energy that feels authentic rather than manufactured.
- Relatability: The lyrics deal with feeling like a "monster" or being "broken," which resonates with anyone navigating the complexities of modern identity.
- The Sound: It’s crunchy. It’s lo-fi. It sounds like it was recorded in a basement, even though the production is actually quite sophisticated.
- The Aesthetic: The band’s visual style and the "indie-sleaze" revival played a huge part in the song's second life.
The Musicality of Anxiety
Musically, Problems by Mother Mother is a masterclass in tension and release. The "Ooh-ooh" backing vocals provide a melodic contrast to the staccato, almost aggressive verses. It’s that contrast that makes it so catchy.
You’ve got this driving beat that feels like a heart rate monitor during a stressful situation. Then the guitar comes in with these sharp, discordant notes. It’s not meant to be "pretty" in the traditional sense. It’s meant to be evocative. The band uses dynamics—the difference between loud and quiet—to simulate the emotional swings of the narrator.
There’s a specific technicality to how they layer their voices. Jasmin and Molly aren't just singing backup; they are instruments in their own right. They often sing in unison or tight intervals that create a haunting, choral effect. It gives the song a slightly supernatural or "off" feeling, which fits the theme perfectly.
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Navigating the Themes of Self-Loathing
Let’s be real: the song is pretty dark. It’s about the realization that you might be the problem in your own life. But there’s a strange comfort in that realization. If everyone has problems, then no one is truly an outcast.
Mother Mother has always been good at this. They take these heavy, borderline taboo subjects and turn them into upbeat indie-rock songs. It’s a bit of a "dance while the world burns" vibe. In the context of Problems by Mother Mother, the "problems" aren't specified. They could be anything: addiction, mental illness, simple personality flaws. By keeping it vague, the song allows the listener to project their own issues onto the lyrics.
The song also touches on the idea of codependency. The line "I've got a million of them / But you've got them too" suggests a bond formed over shared trauma or shared dysfunction. It’s a very honest, if slightly cynical, look at how people actually relate to one another.
The Impact on the Band's Career
Before the 2020 explosion, Mother Mother was a successful Canadian band, but they weren't necessarily a global household name. Problems by Mother Mother helped change that. It proved that their music had a timeless quality.
They weren't chasing trends in 2008. They were doing their own weird thing. Because they weren't trying to sound like the Top 40 of that era, they don't sound dated now. They sound like... well, they sound like Mother Mother.
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How to Lean Into the Message
If you’re listening to this track and it’s hitting a little too close to home, there are actually some interesting ways to engage with the music and the community around it.
- Check out the acoustic versions. Ryan Guldemond often performs stripped-back versions of their hits. Hearing the song without the frantic production highlights just how well-written the lyrics actually are.
- Explore the rest of O My Heart. If you like this track, "Burning Pile" and "Body" cover similar thematic ground with even more experimental arrangements.
- Join the community. The Mother Mother fanbase is famously supportive. Whether it's on Discord or Reddit, there are thousands of people who found this music because they felt "different," and they’ve built a space where that’s okay.
- Analyze the song structure. If you're a musician, try to map out the chord progressions. They use some unexpected shifts that don't follow standard blues or pop formulas, which is why the song stays stuck in your head.
Final Thoughts on the Legacy of Problems
The enduring popularity of Problems by Mother Mother says a lot about where we are as a culture. We’re tired of perfection. We’re tired of influencers pretending their lives are seamless. We want the "problems." We want the messy, shouting, jittery truth.
The song isn't a solution. It doesn't offer a "ten-step plan" to fix your life. It just offers a mirror. And sometimes, seeing your own reflection—problems and all—set to a really good bassline is exactly what you need to get through the day.
Next Steps for Fans
To truly appreciate the evolution of this sound, go back and listen to Mother Mother's debut album, Touch Up. It’s even more experimental and shows where the "scrappy" energy of their later hits originated. After that, compare those early recordings to their 2024 album Grief Chapter. You’ll see a band that has grown older and more polished, but never lost that core obsession with the darker, stranger corners of the human psyche.