Misterwives - Nosebleeds LP

Either a sucker punch square in the face or extreme elevation can cause a nosebleed. In essence, this phenomenon occurs at the lowest of low moments and during the highest of high moments. MisterWives examine both ends of this spectrum in their music. The platinum-certified Los Angeles-based quintet – Mandy Lee [vocals], Etienne Bowler [drums, production], Marc Campbell [guitar], Mike Murphy [keyboards], and William Hehir [bass] – absorb life's ups and downs and recalibrate them in the form of snappy alternative rock anthems underlined by unexpectedly hip-shaking rhythms and identifiable tattoo-worthy lyrics. They meet everyone in the middle of these extremes on their fourth full-length offering, Nosebleeds.

"The title encompasses multiple meanings," Mandy notes. "There's the physical aspect of taking relentless punches and visibly showing the effects. There's another aspect of being up high outside of the world. We're exploring all of these sides. I tried to be vulnerable and raw about my experience. As a kid, music was my escape and my safe space. At a really tumultuous time, I needed to write and feel excited about music once more. It was cathartic for what I'd been through." "The theme is fitting in terms of how we started," Etienne adds. "We had no band or shows, but we had an excitement about making music and dreaming of what was going to happen. Not matter what stage you're at, this excitement helps you get to the next level. A decade later, the same innocence returned to us."

Bursting at the seams with creativity, they tore into the next chapter with single "Out Of Your Mind." Powered up by a distorted riff, venomous verses, and a disarmingly catchy chant, PAPER immediately hailed it as "a bloodthirsty breakup diatribe," and Atwood Magazine promised, "MisterWives have entered a new era, and like always, we're here for it." "‘Out Of Your Mind' was an unapologetic response to the combination of all the people who told me I wasn't good enough and things weren't going to work out," she admits. "This was me not giving up and showing resilience in the face of adversity. As women, we're taught to be polite, small, and palatable – something for everyone. I don't want to be something for everyone; it's an impossible goal I'm unlearning, and this album was a great lesson in trusting myself and my truth without needing external validation or approval."

Meanwhile, the title track and single "Nosebleeds" fuses a thick bassline and airy guitar to a dancefloor-ready groove. Mandy's intonation flutters between an attitude-laden hook and swooning synth-laden bridge as she snarls, "I'm up in the nosebleeds, I'm down in the seats, I see a thousand faces that look just like me." It spirals out on a smoldering send-off, "Wondering what it might be like, just for one night, I didn't care what they all think." "I love the realization of it," she smiles. "You think your experience is so unique and you're the only one who feels like you do. However, the song puts you in an arena. When you look around, you see a crowd just like you – which is beautiful."

Elsewhere, neon keys and warbling spacey sonics augment her vivid lyricism with otherworldly energy on "End of My Rope." Mandy goes on, "‘End Of My Rope' was written at the end of the album where we wanted absolute freedom and escapism from the trenches of life both personally and collectively. While stepping into the light to dance yourself free isn't going to solve all your problems, allowing yourself to still have joy as an act of rebellion in the face of hard times is vital to our existence and what everyone deserves." On the finale "Ultraviolet," delicately plucked acoustic guitar sways beneath a pensive and poetic denouement. "It was an intense way to end the record," Etienne says. "We're constantly working on being happy, and it's an endless struggle. It's not just ‘happily ever after;' it keeps going."