In honor of the illustrious holiday that is #FBF, I would like to take you all on a journey. And when I say “all,” I’m clearly referring to my dedicated collection of imaginary friends, but that’s okay.

Let us travel way back to last Friday. Friday the 13th marked the halfway point in Misterwives’ first (almost entirely sold-out) headlining tour. Photo Finish/Republic’s summery indie-pop buzzband did in fact sell out L.A.’s iconic Troubadour and provided an energetic set to a rapturous crowd; standouts included lead single “Reflections” (below), “Vagabond” and “Hurricane.”

The group, fronted by the charismatic and silver-throated Mandy Lee, is set to perform and present at mtvU’s Woodie Awards today. FYI, Lee will undoubtedly give you flashbacks to that effortlessly cool girl in high school with the perfectly tousled hair who raked in all the yearbook superlatives and caused your first ex-boyfriend to start salivating whether or not you were looking. Sorry… the RSVP notice for my alma mater’s reunion just came in the mail and I may or may not have taped it to the gas pedal in my car so I can step on it repeatedly…

Anyways, the charmingly youthful act is also nominated for the Artist to Watch (Best Emerging Artist) Woodie. Already one of MTV’s Artists to Watch and one of USA Today’s On the Verge acts, MW got big looks at Alt radio with “Reflections” and climbed the Top 10 of Spotify’s Global Viral 50 chart with their cover of Vance Joy’s breakout smash, “Riptide.”

They actually got me to smile, which is an arduous feat. I may have hit a shindig prior with an open bar, so that did help, but it’s still a feat nonetheless.

I’d also like to give a shoutout to opening act BØRNS, who was recently snapped up by Interscope. The L.A. transplant (who apparently lives in a tree-house) splashes your cranial lobes in glitter like an unsupervised child during arts & crafts with his electro-pop grooves and subtle glam rock influences. Like a modernized Bowie at times, Garrett Borns, casts a spell on stage. Btw, his debut EP, Candy, which has a synthy electronic quality digitally, blossoms into something much more earthy and full-bodied when translated live. It’s definitely worth a shimmy and a shake. Intrigued? Digest your heart for lunch with "10,000 Emerald Pools" below.

xx,
Samantha Hissong