We all have our spirit animals — mine is a quokka eating crackers — and sometimes we need to call on those spirit animals to usher in some creativity. Misterwives, a five-piece band of pals from New York City, have their animals with them at all times — most notably on the cover of their debut record, which also features their bad-ass treehouse. Yeah, you heard me: TREEHOUSE.
Our Own House, released in February, is an explosion of refreshing pop music — the kind that incorporates trumpets and accordions and has mini movements within its songs. It’s no wonder why MTV is celebrating them as our Artist to Watch for the next two weeks. They’re catchy AF.
Who They Are
After moving in together and converting their apartment into a DIY studio, Mandy Lee Duffy, Etienne Bowler and William Hehir started MisterWives, gaining Marc Campbell and Jesse Blum along the way. A day after they played their first show in 2013, they got a record deal. Insane, right?
Since then, MisterWives has opened for Twenty One Pilots, Bleachers and American Authors, enlisting the help of Frequency (a producer who’s worked with the likes of Eminem and Snoop Dogg) to work on their record. Although there’s not a lot of hip-hop influence on Our Own House, it’s inspired by rock, disco, reggae and ska, which makes for a refreshing kind of mix.
Mandy writes all the songs — including the crazy-catchy hooks. And for some of the writing process, she locked herself in treehouse in Etienne’s backyard in the Bronx. When they stopped by MTV last month, they told us all about it:
What You Should Listen To
The whole record, of course… But you should definitely check out the album’s lead track, “Reflections,” which tells the story of getting over an are-we-or-are-we-not relationship. You should follow that up with the confident “Our Own House,” which Mandy wrote about creating an unbreakable bond with her friends. There are songs that’ll have you bouncing around, and, admittedly, there are some songs that’ll make you cry.
“I look at [music] as free therapy,” Mandy said of her tunes. “Some are happy and some are not-so-happy. It’s just an outlet of letting your emotions run wild.”
Why You Should Listen
For all the reasons already mentioned, of course — but also because this band’s spirit animals are seriously creative. Take a look at the album art for their debut LP, which features the aforementioned TREEHOUSE where the record was written.
Illustrations of the band’s spirit animals are spilling out of it, as well: Mandy is the elephant, Etienne is the octopus, Will is the dino, Jesse is the squirrel and Marc is the hummingbird. Not a quokka in sight, sadly.
Before we leave you to go explore the music of MisterWives for yourself (and hopefully snag their album), take a moment to pick YOUR own spirit animal and let us know what you’ve chosen in the comments below (it’s OK if you copy theirs). Maybe, then, MisterWives will let us play in their house among the branches.
What’s Next?
BIG News: MisterWives are currently up for the award for Artist to Watch at this year’s mtvU Woodies, slated to down in Austin, Texas, Friday at 9 p.m. ET. Tune in to see if YOUR new spirit animals go home victorious!
Senior Swiftie Reporter, has an unhealthy obsession with pork dumplings and tweeting Joe Budden.
@emileelindner
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