About Wife Patrol
Sifting through ‘90s grunge and alt-rock, ‘80s pop and new wave, and ‘70s punk, Indianapolis trio Wife Patrol distills everything its members love about rock with none of what is obsolete.
In 2015, Nicole (bass/vocals), Natasha (drums/vocals), and Greg (guitar/vocals) pooled their collective music experience in performance, promotion, and journalism and wrote a batch of demos – 2016’s self-released Electric Blizzard EP. Wife Patrol then took to the stage, performing throughout the Midwest, including at LadyFest Cincinnati (2017) and the MidWay Music Festival (2017, 2019) in Bloomington, Indiana. By 2017, the band earned recognition for delivering one of the top performances of WFYI’s Small Studio Sessions on Indianapolis's NPR/PBS syndicated station.
Live shows range from Sabbath-esque riffage to Mazzy Star sweetness, while the group's tight chemistry keeps everything identifiably its own. Their performances caught the attention of recording engineer/producer Paul Mahern, with whom the band recorded the Orange EP, which was released in September of 2018.
Wife Patrol’s debut LP Too Prickly For This World was released in September of 2020 on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. The band recorded and mixed the 11-track album with their producer P. David Hazel (The Lemonheads, Extra Blue Kind, Bullet Points) throughout 2019. Marked as “instantly catchy alt-rock with streaks of punk, new wave, and metal, overlaid with Bangles-esque harmonies” by Bandcamp (New and Notable, August 2020), the LP glides effortlessly between as many genres as it does vocalists. With touchstones in punk, pop, and metal – and vocal harmonies throughout – the record explores everything from power structures, toxic culture, and friendship, to the hellish winter weather phenomena of the Great Plains.
Vocals, Bass / Nicole
Vocals, Drums / Natasha
Vocals, Guitar / Greg
Photos by Clay Lomneth
MUSIC
EQUINOX
Release Date: March 19, 2024
Commissioned by Indianapolis publication Mirror Indy to celebrate the dawn of spring, the song was written, recorded, and mastered by the band over four weeks in early 2024. As with all of Wife Patrol’s original songs, the writing and production was a collaborative effort, with contributions to lyrics, instrumentation, and arrangement coming from all three members of the band.
Written, recorded, and produced by Wife Patrol
“Equinox” is available as a digital release on Bandcamp and major streaming platforms.
Christmas ‘96
Release Date: November 25, 2023
The band’s first release since its 2020 debut album, “Christmas ‘96” is a song of nostalgia and reflection on Christmas. The lyrics note the changes from youthful wonder to complicated loss in adulthood.
Written, recorded, and produced by Wife Patrol.
“Christmas ‘96” is available as a digital release on Bandcamp.
Too Prickly For This World
Release Date: September 4, 2020
Wife Patrol’s debut LP, Too Prickly For This World is available on 12” vinyl LP, CD, and digital format on Bandcamp, in addition to major streaming services.
The album was recorded and mixed throughout 2019 by Indianapolis producer P. David Hazel (The Lemonheads, Extra Blue Kind, Bullet Points) and Wife Patrol. Mastered by Margaret Luthar at Welcome to 1979.
The album’s lead singles are “Let’s Hang Out”, “Valentine Citrus”, and “Girl Cactus”.
With touchstones in punk, pop, and metal – and vocal harmonies throughout – the record explores everything from power structures, toxic culture, and friendship, to the hellish winter weather phenomena of the Great Plains.
“Wife Patrol make instantly catchy alt-rock with streaks of punk, new wave, and metal, overlaid with Bangles-esque harmonies.”
“Wife Patrol is what happens when serendipity and high energy combine. The Indianapolis-based band has a new record, Too Prickly For This World, and it showcases how sharp, thoughtful, and impactful the trio’s songwriting can be. Nicole, Natasha, and Greg join this week to share stories of their early love of music, their matching last names, riffs, and so much more.”
“Sleater-Kinney territory permeating through this super-catchy new one from Indianapolis based trio Wife Patrol. ‘Let’s Hang Out‘ is earworm central from their hotly tipped debut album out this month.”
How To Lose
Released May 8, 2020
“How To Lose” was recorded in the last week of April 2020 as Stay-At-Home orders began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The members of Wife Patrol recorded their parts in their separate homes with what tools and devices they had available to them. This song was premiered online by the Arts Council of Indianapolis.
Learn more about the remote recording process here.
Check out our process video here.
Orange EP
Released September 28, 2018
This 3-song EP captures the wide range of sounds that Wife Patrol creates. From the power-pop melodies of “How Do You Know (If You’re Alive?)” to the punk shouts of “H.A.” Orange EP was produced and recorded by Paul Mahern in early 2018. Recorded at Ground Sound Studios, mixed and mastered at White Arc Studios in Bloomington, Indiana.
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