Professor Girlfriend - 2025 - My Mother in Love [The Summer Sessions]

(43:46; Neuma Records)

Track list:
- My Mother in Love:
1. Reading on the Stairs 3:20
2. Dinnertime 2:28
3. My Sister 1:30
4. Spare Parts 2:24
5. Powers 2:22
6. Lament: Invisible 3:24
7. Laughing 1:26
8. Fierce 0:43
9. Reading Before Sleeping 3:49
10. Okay? 4:08
-
11. Circular Argument 3:44
12. When Girls Learn the Alphabet 5:32
13. The Very Air 4:34
14. Why the Dialectic? 4:22

Line-up:
Anna Weesner - piano, composer, lyrics, producer
Charles Mueller - guitars, bass, engineer, producer
Charlotte Mundy - vocals
with:
Cameron LeCrone - drums
Carrie Frey - viola
Helen Newby - cello
James Austin Smith - oboe
Jessica Thompson - violin, viola
Laura Cocks - flutes
Madison Greenstone - clarinets
Marina Kifferstein - violin
Oren Fader - guitars
Roberta Michel - flute, piccolo
Robby Garrison - trumpet
Robert Burkhart - cello
Sarah Goldfeather - violin 
Sian Ricketts - oboe, recorders, cymbals
Yuhan Su - vibraphone


Prolusion.
US project Professor Girlfriend consists of composer, lyricist and producer Anna Weesner; engineer and producer Charles Mueller and vocalist Charlotte Mundy. The production "My Mother in Love" was originally commissioned for a live performance back in 2018. Since then the work has been expanded upon a little bit, with four additional compositions added to this creation, and a studio version has been developed and recorded. The result of this development was released by US label Neuma Records in the summer of 2025 as the album "My Mother in Love [The Summer Sessions]".

Analysis:
US label Neuma Records is a label that release quite a lot of material that I suspect may be of interest to many people that also listen to progressive rock, with the occasional appearance of artists also active in the progressive rock realm to be found in that label's back catalogue. And to my mind at least, this studio version of the commissioned work "My Mother in Love" is one where a case might be argued for the album to belong inside of the progressive rock universe itself.

This is very much an expressive and expansive album, where the musical red thread, so to speak, is classical music and chamber music. The string instruments have prominent roles in many of the songs, the flute is very much present too, and even the vocals comes with a mood and mode of delivery that gives me associations to classical music.

While chamber music is a foundation of sorts here, the creators and instrumentalists venture out from that foundation in a myriad of different manners. A bit of noise rock here, some avant pop there, minimalist pop music oriented escapades with an experimental edge are present and accounted for too. We get more or less subtle impulses pulled in from folk music too, as well as a tip of the hat towards jazz on a few occasions to boot. 

The songs are quirky and expressive more often than not, and with avant sensibilities being a bit the order of the day throughout. Sometimes with a bit more of a pop expression, on other occasions with more of a rock impression, and on many occasions without a truly defined style as such being present but rather an amalgam of elements explored in an expressive and suitably challenging manner. And while perhaps a bit angular sounding at times, flow and melody are always a presence too. 

In essence this is music that defies a distinct definition, which to my mind makes it a progressive production by default. In this case with material I suspect quite a few of those who tend to love and treasure the more avant-oriented aspects of the progressive rock tradition may find to be rather intriguing.

Conclusion.
This studio production by Professor Girlfriend may not be a typical example of music of the kind one might describe as progressive rock, but it is certainly an expressive and progressive venture of the more challenging variety. Those fond of chamber music and classical music explored inside of an avant-oriented context, and who find the notion of pop music and rock music elements with a slight influx of elements from folk music and jazz to be a good fit in such an environment, should feel right at home with the landscapes explored on this album. 

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, October 2025

Links:
https://professorgirlfriend.com/
https://neumarecords.org/