Platinum-certified indie pop act MisterWives hit new strides of sonic and personal growth on the 19-track epic album Superbloom, journeying through notions of self-doubt, hope and triumph to emerge stronger than ever. 

Departing from the defining body of work into brand new musical adventures, the band who established their own label Resilient Little Records, continue to build on their trademark explosive synth-pop while pulling apart difficult themes of change and loss with their uplifting artistry. 

Three albums down and working on a fourth, MisterWives chat to 1883 about their sonic evolution, the rollercoaster that is their creative process, the inspiration, story and vision for their label, and much more.

What is the inspiration/message behind Easy and what motivated the release of a stripped-back version of the single? 

Easy was one of the first songs written after life hit us with a nice 1-2 punch of getting dropped and our bandmate quitting…shortly after the release of Superbloom during the pandemic. I guess that’s more like a 1-2-3-400 punch. While it wasn’t an easy time, both personally and collectively, the thing that made it easier, or at least manageable, was remembering all the times I had made it through before and knowing this would be no different. This song became a mantra for the band to keep pushing forward and I catch myself still returning to it when back in the trenches. In classic Misterwives fashion, the song is upbeat with saturated melodies and synths- but the heart of the song although empowering, is also quite sombre. We wanted to do a stripped back version of Easy to really let the song spill her guts more and not shy away from the crux of the lyrics. I love that there are two versions, both true to Easy, but give you the option if you need to dance or cry it out.

How has your sound evolved over time, especially in the run up to and after Superbloom? What changes do you see in yourselves as a band and individual creatives?

Three albums deep and working on the fourth, I think it’s really evident and cool to see how much growth the band has had sonically and lyrically. I think Superbloom was the catalyst for pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone and seeing how much deeper we could go with the creative process in every aspect from song writing, production, visuals etc… I owe a lot of that to what the album was about (spoiler alert-Etienne and I divorced and then made an album about superblooming from it) as well as the natural progression of growing up. Some of the songs on the first album I wrote when I was 15…15 years later your voice changes, the way you write changes, we’ve all learned so much. Even Etienne’s evolution from starting out on ableton, recording in his closet, to what he’s producing now has all dramatically transformed. Only makes me more excited for future MW.

In terms of song writing, do you usually draw inspiration from your personal experiences or from the stories around you? 

I’ve always really liked the idea of writing music inspired by other stories or someone else’s point of view but life keeps happening and I keep having to write through whatever I’m experiencing. Music has and will always be the most cathartic tool I have to navigate the highs, the lows and all the in between so it’s always super personal.  It’s definitely a bit scary and super vulnerable to put yourself out there but I find the more honest the music is the more people can truly connect to it and feel less alone in their own experiences, myself included.

Tell us a bit about the vision of your own label Resilient Little Records and the journey to launching it? 

Inspired by the motif of Superbloom, Resilient Little Records was born out of adversity in this industry that helped us harness more resilience to keep going and not give up. The idea to start our own label came out of the challenges we’ve faced the last couple of years, being dropped by several labels, getting tired of answering to the gatekeepers who think TikTok is the end all be all, having to compromise our vision and finding ourselves in the same repetitive loop of a label deciding what song is the single then doing nothing to help support the song. Fed up with being sold the same thing packaged differently, we decided to take back our control and change the blueprint by doing a joint venture with RLR and Photofinish and it’s been one of the best decisions we’ve made in our ten years of being a band!

What would you say is your favourite part of the music making process and what’s the most challenging part of it? 

The process is such a rollercoaster. Some songs beg to be written with a melody I can’t get out of my head and the idea comes together effortlessly; others make me question why I ever thought I should get into music!!! Whether it’s a song sent from the heavens or sent from writer’s block hell, it still is always the most enjoyable and fulfilling experience creating together- it helps that this band is full of the funniest comedians I know, so there is never a dull moment. All the hard work is the most worth it when we get to play the music live which without fail brings new life and meaning to the songs every show. I think that’s currently been my favourite part of the process , building a section of  the song specifically for a live moment with the audience and going from dreaming that up to it actually happening gets me in my feels every time. I also think the car test is another favorite part of the process, even though I don’t drive.

If you had to introduce MisterWives music to someone with only three tracks which tracks do you think represent your artistry best and why? 

I’d say the last two releases Where Do We Go From Here? And Easy along with our newest song Wrongside, feel like a pretty good representation of our sound. We aren’t afraid to bend genres and push ourselves into new territory and these three feels like a good touchstone for our range. Runner up would be all of Superbloom, beginning to end.

What’s been the most surreal moment of your career so far? What’s on your bucket list? 

It’s all been so surreal but I think as a band everyone would say playing Madison Square Garden was a huge bucket list moment that we hope we can return to!!!!! I think that experience was so wild I blacked out and struggle to actually remember that night so a recent one I can vividly remember was playing Summer Stage. I used to busk in Central Park as a teenager so getting to play there with a big ol’ billboard in Time Square promoting the show was a super emotional full circle moment.

Wrongside is out now. Follow MisterWives @misterwives

Interview by Malvika Padin