“There’s no crying in baseball” is one of those movie quotes that has reached cultural ubiquity to the point that it’s now become a stand-in for the separation of emotion and machismo, and a depressing reminder that society-at-large still isn’t comfortable when people express vulnerability. You can hear those shackles of restrain on “No Crying In Baseball,” the first studio recording from Athens, GA-based band Mothers. What started out as the solo project of Kristine Leschper — who still handles vocals and songwriting duties — has now expanded to a proper four-piece. This was the first track they recorded in a studio together, and it serves as a precursor (and B-side) to their upcoming debut full-length, out next year.

“In my mind it represents a tangible shift towards a sharper, more unapologetic embracement of discovering fortitude in hypersensitivity. At first glance it is brash and accusatory, but stripped to its undergarments it really is a testament to vulnerability,” Leschper says of the song. “It’s about how entirely possible it is to be soft and subtle and simultaneously aggressively forceful.” Those two modes are on full display here, from the more melancholy beginning through to the point where you can tell they’ve decided that enough is enough, and decide to really let loose. It’s a dusty, angry, frustrated firecracker of a track — listen below.

Tour Dates:
08/21 Greensboro, NC @ The Blind Tiger *
08/22 Baltimore, MD @ Flying Dog Brewery *
08/23 Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes *
08/24 Norfolk, VA @ Work Release *
08/25 Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre *
08/27 Athens, GA @ Creature Comforts w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra
09/04 Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
09/05 Winston-Salem, NC @ The Garage
09/06 Raleigh, NC @ Neptunes
09/08 Washington, DC @ DC9
09/09 New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall for ‘Communion Residency’
09/10 New York, NY @ Pianos
09/11 New York, NY @ Berlin
09/12 Trenton, NJ @ Mill Hill Basement
09/13 Norfolk, VA @ The Parlor
09/15 Nashville, TN @ High Watt for ‘Communion Residency’
09/16 Atlanta, GA @ Smiths for ‘Communion Residency’
09/17 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar for ‘Communion Residency’
09/19 Kalamazoo, MI @ Louie’s Backroom
09/20 Columbia, MO @ Cafe Berlin
09/21 Rock Island, IL @ Rozz Tox for Moeller Monday’s
09/22 Indianapolis, IN @ HI-Fi supporting Good Graeff
09/23 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
09/25 St. Louis, MO @ The Demo supporting Great Peacock
09/26 Cincinnati, OH @ MidPoint Music Festival
* w/ of Montreal