New Music: Desperate Hauswives – The Ballad of Edie Britt

Not being overly familiar with TV series Desperate Housewives, I’d not really considered main character Edie Britt as a riot grrrl icon.

Desperate Hauswives – the joint project of Fiona Grey and talker, focused on the almost-namesake TV show – make the case for that on their new single, which at times feels and sounds like it’s time-warping us back to 90s Olympia. But that doesn’t take into account the rollicking subversiveness of the lyrics, and indeed how both the TV show and riot grrrl helped partially rewrite expectations of women in music and the wider world.

In part a celebration of the character, it’s also a skewering of how society can view women that don’t conform to gender expectations, or respond appropriately to the male gaze. Mainly, though, The Ballad of Edie Britt is fun, caustic, and campy, and seems destined to become a greater part of the show’s lore.

“The Ballad of Edie Britt is… Desperate Hauswives paying homage to our favorite character and true inspiration, Edie Britt. She does whatever she wants, is unapologetically herself, and we miss her every day (RIP),” they say.

“With careful attention to detail in lyrics like “She cooks, you eat // Her puttanesca tastes so sweet” and “She’ll keep your secret while you call her a bitch”, the song not only honors Edie, but is a call to all the messy, untraditional women in the world to be their truest selves, regardless of what people may think.”

You can stream The Ballad of Edie Britt on SoundCloud and Spotify, and the song is available to download on Bandcamp. The band’s 2024 EP, Welcome to the Lane, is well worth a listen if you’re a fan of the TV show – check out Desperate Hauswives on Instagram for more information on that. Header photo by Lee Dubin