Stepmom Sells Out their EP Release Show

Oklahoma band Stepmom released their new immersive experience Thursday at Factory Obscura followed by a set from the band. The Profitopia art installation has four rooms that correspond to each song from their new EP.

Each room has a listening station where you can listen to the song the room corresponds with. Included with each ticket are light diffraction glasses that create holographic lens flares when wearing them. The first room in the art installation is the lobby that correlates with “Welcome to Profitopia” the first song from their new EP.

The room features a desk and different props to interact with around the room.  Most notably, there is a vending machine with pill bottles in it that read “Chaos Candy” and “Creativity Capsules.”

There is a window that looks into what seems like a never ending amount of little workers stuck in cubicles. Up above the room is a chandelier made of unnerving barbie dolls. There is also a gaming device on the desk where you can play as Stepmom’s TV Head character and try to avoid money and businessmen.

The next room is the employee lounge, which correlates with “Survival Mode.” The lounge is set up like any other employee lounge with a couch, a cooking area and even a foosball table, but feels like this other pink surreal dimension is leaking into the lounge.  There was also a smaller room that featured rows of photos of Stepmom’s mascot’s Pip, with an Employee of the Month Sticker on each picture. Next is the employee gym, which corresponds with “Heavy Lifting.”

Almost everything is pink in this room and most things are replaced with something unexpected. The motivational words you would often see at a gym like “Strength” and “Win” are replaced with words like “Release,” “Unify” and “Create.” The last room is the secret lab that correlates with “Self-Destruct.” This room features a “Rejuvacorp” machine destroyed by pink goo.

After looking around the rooms, Stepmom’s set started. Cheyenne McCoy on cello and bass, Amie Reardon on drums and oboe, and Bailey Pelletier on keys, came out on stage first. Lindsey Cox, on guitar and lead vocals, later joined the band. The band was dressed in pink suit jackets with shoulder pads and covered in glitter and blood. Cox had a pink corset on with barbie doll heads lining the corset. Written on her guitar was “Abolish Corporate Greed!”

They started their set with “Welcome to Profitopia” which feels similar to the elevator music that would be heard going into a corporate job. During parts of the song, the band broke down as if they were robots or animatronics. Next,“Vampires” was invigorating and everyone in the crowd was dancing along. Two of the band’s dancers joined the stage during this song dressed in pink jumpsuits with blonde wigs. Before the song “Nikki” began, Cox said the song is about what might happen if we stop prioritizing human connections.

Next was the second song from their new EP “Survival Mode” in which Cox talked about how the time allotted out of work is not enough to live. With the light diffraction glasses, the slowness of the song and the guitar solos, it felt similar in ways to 70s psychedelic music. “Your Elbows” was followed by “Party People” which featured McCoy’s electric cello and two TV Head characters dancing around the stage. “Heavy Lifting” from their EP was next with weightlifter videos playing in the background and vocals that differed from previous Stepmom songs.

After was “Chaos Candy” which Cox said was about taking back your time. Amie Reardon seamlessly switched from drums to oboe during this song. It was followed by “Keep it to Myself.” The final song of the EP was next “Self-Destruct” to which Cox said she wrote a few years ago, but did not finish until this year because she was not ready to process her feelings. “Damage Control” acted as the end of the set, with confetti streaming down at the end of the song.

After the song, Cox got teary-eyed as she thanked the band, her manager and everyone who helped with the installation and EP. The band decided to perform one more song, “See What’s Inside.” This song featured confetti and the dancers throwing party streamers around the room.

The Profitopia Immersive Experience will be open from now until Dec. 8. There will be creature nights on Nov. 9, 16, and 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. where Stepmom’s mascot creatures Pip, Lampshade Lady and TV Head will be at the Profitiopia installation.

Factory Obscura will also have the band MoonShroom performing on the Wonder Stage on Nov. 22 with Steelwind opening. Factory Obscura’s monthly Future of Sound Sessions will be held on Nov. 30 with Garage Punk band Emma Goldman Sachs collaborating with Grungy Ethereal Art from Thedirtbaby and Slime Punk band Belle Riots collaborating with psychedelic surrealism from Impermanent State.