Housewife releases herself from a toxic relationship on “Divorce”

Some breakups, even if you weren’t married, feel like a divorce. Lives become so enmeshed in relationships that once they end, the two parts don’t know how to be whole on their own. There’s a litany of tropes in the media about someone finding themselves after a rough relationship, but what about in the immediate? What about trying to separate your belongings when you can barely remember what belongs to who? What about when the relationship was unfathomably unhealthy? What about when you literally can’t remember anything about yourself without this person?

On her latest single, Toronto’s Housewife (Brighid Fry) speaks to this phenomenon through swirling guitars, moving drum patterns, and wispy-turned-belting vocals. “Divorce” comes from a forthcoming EP expected in the spring. At only 21, Fry has been releasing music under the Housewife moniker since 2018. The track follows their recent drop “Life Of The Party,” and doubles down on Fry’s grunge-pop sound, gradually building intensity and sound over the course of the song. “Divorce” feels very “Bags” by Clairo-meets-“$20” by boygenius: combining indie pop sensibilities with rock textures that create a stirring and emotive medium for a meditation on post-breakup independence.

“Divorce” opens with a moody guitar pattern, followed by Housewife’s wispy vocals bolstered by a double tracked octave to create a dreamy haze over the opening verses. The track exists in three parts, rather than a typical verse/chorus/verse structure. The transition from the first to the second part is coupled with the introduction of drums that are first fuzzy and muted, then cutting and overwhelming. As the song continues, the instrumentation and vocals get stronger and more powerful, not unlike someone regaining their confidence after a breakup. Synth runs, triplet drum patterns, and sweeping guitar riffs reinforce the intensity continuing to bubble up until the guitar explodes with distortion at the end of the track.

Housewife tells a story of post-breakup existence throughout “Divorce,” chronicling what it takes to make their space their own again (“Hanging up poster / Putting out coasters / Found a new rug for the floor”) while also ridding herself of the guilt that might come with having to end a relationship for your own good (“You did your best to force me out / Then you ask me why i leave”). The song’s thesis can be found in the transition from the second to the third part of the song, with the line “You’re your own worst enemy / Well I’m not the enemy.”

The song’s third and final section sees “I’m not the enemy” as its only lyric. It’s repeated alongside a circling guitar pattern, and feels like Housewife is trying to convince her ex just as much as herself that it’s not her fault the relationship fell apart. Housewife says the track is about “not only mourning the person and the relationship you have with them, but also the life you were building together. It’s about starting to rebuild and the struggle between needing to protect yourself, but also not wanting to be involved in something adversarial with someone who has hurt you.”