Du Blonde 's swaggering, heart-on-sleeve rock pairs the heavy sounds of punk, blues, garage rock, and soul with brutally confessional songwriting. Their thundering 2015 debut album Welcome Back to Milk -- which featured a cameo from Future Islands' Samuel T. Herring -- laid the groundwork for 2019's Lung Bread for Daddy, a self-produced work that reflected their music at its most freeing. The glimpses of pop that peeked through on 2021's Homecoming and 2024's fearless, glam-tinged Sniff More Gritty sacrificed none of Du Blonde's bravery or honesty about heartbreak and mental illness. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Du Blonde (then known as Beth Jeans Houghton) began writing and performing while still in their teens. In 2006, Bird Records issued their debut single as a limited-edition 7". The following year, they signed to Static Caravan Recordings, who released the single "Golden/Nightswimmer" and their second EP, Hot Toast, Vol. 1, which was produced by Tuung's Mike Lindsay. They resurfaced in February 2012 with Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose; produced by Ben Hiller, the album ranged from ethereal folk-pop to more unpredictable sounds and hit number 83 on the U.K. Albums Chart. While recording the follow-up to Cellophane Nose, Du Blonde felt creatively blocked. After breaking up their band and scrapping an album's worth of material, they spent much of 2013 traveling the United States. Their trip to the Pacific Coast with Future Islands' Samuel T. Herring resulted in several songs that became the basis of their new musical incarnation. Working with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds drummer Jim Sclavunos as producer, Du Blonde recorded their first album under that name, Welcome Back to Milk, in London and Los Angeles. Featuring the Herring collaboration "Mind Is on My Mind," the album appeared in May 2015. Following the Welcome Back to Milk tour, Du Blonde embarked on several projects that included her comic book series Butt Hurt and directing and animating music videos for artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ezra Furman, and LUMP. After seeking help for lifelong issues with anxiety and depression in early 2018, Du Blonde began work on their second album. Recording in London and Oakland, California, Houghton took on production duties and played most of the instruments, working with bassist Jorgen Jorgenson Briggs and drummer Sam Durkes to round out the album's sound. The unflinching results, Lung Bread for Daddy, arrived on Moshi Moshi in February 2019. For Du Blonde's next album, they collaborated with Shirley Manson, Ezra Furman, Andy Bell, and members of Girl Ray and Tuung. Appearing in March 2021, Homecoming embellished on the heavy sound of Du Blonde's previous work with touches of pop and glam-rock. Those touches took the spotlight on November 2024's Sniff More Gritty. Entirely produced and largely played by Du Blonde, the album also featured Skunk Anansie’s Skin, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, Maximo Park’s Paul Smith, and the Futureheads’ Ross Millard. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi