Roses & Razorblades

Roses & Razorblades was an American rock band formed in 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The band has gone through numerous lineup changes during its activity, but its core members are vocalist Winnie Honning, bassist Clover Miyaki, and guitarist Fender Kawausoka. The band is known for its frequently changing musical direction and experimental approach to pop music.

Roses & Razorblades was the result of Honning and Miyaki's attempts at collaborative songwriting at the suggestion of their therapists in 2018. Their first album, Satellights, was released in 2020 on Bandcamp as a pay-what-you-want download and was composed of these "therapy songs." The album attracted attention online for its combination of shoegaze and post-grunge music styles. After signing with Marrieland, an independent record label owned by Miyaki's friend and former collaborator Marrie Williams. the band began work on its second album, Neon.

Neon was released in 2021 and was preceded by the single "Shadows." The song was a sleeper hit, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023. After the single reached the top ten, two more singles, "Neon Lights" and "3AM," were released, reaching numbers 8 and 16 on the Hot 100, respectively. Following the success of "Shadows", Marrieland drew up an agreement with Def Jam which helped it produce physical copies of its signees' albums. Neon was subsequently re-released in 2023 with three additional tracks. During this time, pop songwriter Fender Kawausoka joined the band, and their third album, Flesh, was released in 2024. It was preceded by the single "Ultraviolet," which became the band's highest charting single, reaching number 3 on the Hot 100.

Following the release of Flesh, the band announced an indefinite hiatus as a result of Winnie Honning's pregnancy throughout 2025. During this time, Kawausoka ventured into modeling, while Miyaki worked with Marrieland executive Marrie Williams on an experimental album. The album, titled Andromeda Composition 11, was released in 2026, and provided a foundation for the sonic direction of their next album. The band reunited in 2026 to complete their fourth album Distant Fields, and Williams officially joined the group during its production. Distant Fields was supported by two singles, "Runaway" and "Closer." "Runaway" became the band's first chart-topping single on the Hot 100, and "Closer" reached number 6. Following the album's release in 2027, the band embarked on its first tour, the Distant Fields Tour, in the summer of 2028. A live album, called Across the Horizon, was released later in the year.

The band returned to the studio in the summer of 2029, and their fifth and sixth studio albums, Atlantis and Pacifica were surprise-released in the fall of 2029. Atlantis became the band's highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at number two, and they became the first act to debut two albums in the top five of the chart in the same week. A total of four singles were released in support of the albums: "Hurricane," "Hyperchroma," "Beach City," and "Weather." "Hyperchroma" became the band's second chart-topping single, and the remaining singles all reached the top 10. Following the album's release, the group re-released the then-unavailable Satellights on its tenth anniversary in early 2030, and embarked on its second tour, the Atlantis/Pacifica Tour, in the summer of 2030. Atlantis and Pacifica collaborators Sky Meridian and Gim Hanakuro officially joined the band for the tour. They released their second live album, Underwater, that winter.

Roses & Razorblades initially announced a second tour in support of Atlantis and Pacifica, but it was cancelled after the band abruptly split in the spring of 2031. Months after the announcement, the band reported that Miyaki had taken a prescription drug overdose in a suicide attempt. After the band's split, Honning and Kawausoka formed the songwriting collective Fourpetal, and Williams, Meridian and Hanakuro returned to solo projects. When asked in 2032 whether the band would regroup, Honning stated that she was unsure.

In 2034, Williams revealed that she had begun production on her first solo studio album since Andromeda Composition 11 in 2026. The album, M4, was released in late 2034 and heavily addressed Miyaki's suicide attempt, which greatly affected Williams. She also stated that Honning, Miyaki, and Kawausoka had been writing together, but did not say whether they were working on an album. The band ultimately regrouped in 2035 with the release of the single "Loveless." Their seventh studio album, Flowerwall, followed later in the year and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, their first album to do so. The band also announced that they would retire from touring, but said they would like to play more single-show festivals in the future. After promotion for Flowerall ended in late 2035, the band announced that they would return to an indefinite hiatus, but clarified that they were not breaking up and that they would continue playing festivals.

During their hiatus, Miyaki joined Fourpetal and the trio wrote for pop and rock artists from 2026 to 2029. They returned to the studio to work on their eighth album in 2029. The album, Love in the Dark, was released in early 2040, on the 20 year anniversary of their first album, Satellights. It featured influences of funk and psychedelic music, as well as pop influences from their time working as songwriters. The band announced that they were breaking up again following the album's release, and Honning often called the album their "final album." No singles were released in support of the album, but it became their second chart-topper on the Billboard 200. Notably, no songs from the album have ever been performed live.

A year after the band's breakup, Honning stated that, due to a large demand from fans, the band would release a compilation album. The album, Roses & Razorblades, was released in 2041 and was composed of the band's hits as well as demos and unreleased tracks. It also included songs by the band's frequent collaborators, including Williams and Mac Winters.