For Revenge Wife, releasing Alien Witch represents something more significant than simply putting another album into the world, as it marks the end of an extended period of personal transformation, creative experimentation and learning to trust her instincts. Yet, more than a month after its release, the experience has been somewhat difficult to comprehend, particularly when the internal changes that accompanied making the record have not necessarily translated into immediate changes in her everyday life.
“It feels surreal that the album is out, and it’s been a month,” Revenge Wife tells Eat This Music. “There was so much leading up to the release for me, it felt like I crossed a threshold when it came out but at the same time nothing external has changed really.”
That contrast between personal growth and external recognition is an important part of understanding Alien Witch. There is a sense that Alien Witch represents a graduation of sorts, one where the creative achievement has already happened, but the artist is still working out what comes next.
Revenge Wife acknowledges that appreciating her accomplishments has not always been straightforward. The tendency to measure success through streaming numbers and audience engagement can make it difficult to recognise the work that goes into creating something independently. However, reflecting on the discipline required to complete Alien Witch has also given her confidence in what Revenge Wife might accomplish in the future.
“I feel proud that I was so disciplined in the making-of and that inspires me for the future. If I did that what else can I do?”
That discipline became particularly important throughout the Alien Witch’s development, as Revenge Wife discovered that disconnecting from her phone was essential to maintaining her creative focus, while allowing herself time to think through ideas was just as valuable as the practical work of recording them. Rather than treating periods of inactivity as wasted time, Revenge Wife came to recognise that pondering, discussing and envisioning were fundamental parts of her creative process. Some songs required days of consideration before Revenge Wife could work out how to approach them, and the temptation to constantly reach for her phone could interrupt that process.
It is an interesting distinction in a creative environment where productivity is often associated with constantly producing something tangible. For Revenge Wife, creating Alien Witch required learning when to work, when to think and how to organise a project so that it could eventually be completed. “The finishing was the hardest part,” Revenge Wife admits.
Alien Witch’s origins also demonstrate how important trusting herself has become, as over the eight years leading up to Alien Witch, Revenge Wife experienced significant personal changes, many of which Revenge Wife is still trying to understand. One of the most important lessons has been learning to follow creative impulses, even when their significance is not immediately obvious.
In 2020, while working on Background Songs for Your Boring Life, Revenge Wife experienced a recurring dream telling her not to forget her ukulele songs. These were acoustic compositions Revenge Wife had originally written for herself, pieces that offered comfort and existed outside the expectations of a wider audience. “The songs themselves were my secret songs, the ones I made for me that I had to hear,” Revenge Wife continues. “And they were mine to use as comfort when I needed, but I knew I was asked to put them into the world so I’ve obliged.”
There is something compelling about the idea of music beginning as a private source of reassurance before gradually becoming something intended for others. Alien Witch is not necessarily an album designed to explain every aspect of its creator’s experiences. Instead, it allows those experiences to exist within a broader exploration of spirituality, identity and the creative process. Each song is associated with a different zodiac sign, giving the record a conceptual structure that helps connect its contrasting musical and lyrical ideas. Revenge Wife describes it as an album of juxtapositions, bringing together harder rock sounds and softer expressions of femininity, while balancing spiritual ideas with moments of playfulness.
Alien Witch moves from questioning the self towards questioning other people, with the underlying question of who someone becomes when they are alone. Its narrative reaches a climax with Inevitable Discomfort before transitioning into a science-fiction short story that Revenge Wife describes as a companion to Plato’s Allegory of the Den.
These elements suggest an artist interested in exploring identity from several perspectives rather than restricting herself to one musical style or narrative approach. The zodiac framework gives Alien Witch direction, but its contrasting sounds and ideas allow individual songs to express different emotional states. Importantly, Revenge Wife did not feel compelled to preserve every aspect of her original vision. As the project developed, Revenge Wife became increasingly comfortable allowing the music to determine its own direction.
“Alien Witch became her own being over the course of her creation,” Revenge Wife says. “I feel pretty comfortable in staying open and letting things lead me rather than trying to stay too tight on an idea.” That openness was reflected in the recording process, which involved translating a substantial collection of original compositions into fully realised arrangements.
Revenge Wife began with approximately 100 songs before taking selected material into rehearsals with her band. These sessions allowed her to explore tempos, arrangements and the overall feel of each composition. Revenge Wife would then return home to create rough demos using synthesizers and vocals before moving into the studio. Recording took place at Sear Sound in Manhattan, where Revenge Wife worked with engineer Steve Sacco to develop the drum sounds, drawing on references including The Voidz and Fontaines D.C. Colum Enrique recorded drums, while Jack Broza contributed bass and occasional guitar, and Chris Wills added further guitar parts.
Although the musicians brought their own ideas to the recordings, Revenge Wife maintained a clear creative direction. Revenge Wife frequently communicated instrumental parts by singing what Revenge Wife wanted to hear, then worked collaboratively with the musicians to refine their contributions. Once the recordings were complete, Tano Brock handled mixing and Emily Lazar mastered Alien Witch.
For Revenge Wife, taking responsibility for so much of the production represented an important development from her earlier work with HOLYCHILD. During that period, Louie largely handled production, giving her a different relationship with the recording process. This shift towards greater creative control is one of Alien Witch’s defining achievements. Beyond the finished songs, the experience gave Revenge Wife a deeper understanding of how Revenge Wife works, what Revenge Wife needs from collaborators and how to bring an ambitious project to completion.
For listeners discovering Revenge Wife for the first time, Revenge Wife recommends Waste of Tears as an introduction to her music, describing its combination of emotion, fun and pop-punk disco as representative of her sound.
But despite the spiritual concepts and personal experiences behind Alien Witch, Revenge Wife is not concerned with whether listeners interpret every underlying meaning. “I hope people feel empowered in their own lives with this music, I hope it can become a soundtrack for them and they can sing along when they’re going though their own experiences,” she continues. “I don’t need them to understand any deep messages. I just want it to be there for them.”
That perspective brings Alien Witch back to where it began. The songs were initially written as something Revenge Wife needed for herself, offering comfort during particular moments in her life. By releasing them, Revenge Wife has created the possibility that they might serve a similar purpose for someone else.
