Mannequin Pussy used to be a punk band of serial monogamists. Ascending through the DIY ranks with their fierce live shows – commanded by frontwoman Marisa “Missy” Dabice – they played thrashing emo-inflected punk about infatuation and heartbreak, and they even named their second album Romance. They loved love… until they didn’t. In 2021, right after Missy ended her three-year long relationship, the seed of a different romance emerged, and just as she was entertaining it, she paused. The thought coursed through her heart and mind: “I’ve been someone’s fucking girlfriend for 10 years straight of my life – and for fucking what?” She shut out the possibility of new love and quickly began to self-reflect. “There is something gross in realising how quickly I could get int...