Rituals is the 2025 full length album from Watchhouse, the North Carolina based duo of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz (formerly Mandolin Orange). This is the first release of all new, original songs since their 2021 self-titled album, which found the duo embracing a new name and a new chapter for the band.
Recorded close to home in 2024 with co-producer Ryan Gustafson (the Dead Tongues), Rituals explores the boundaries between identity and awareness, and how we often confuse our patterns with our truths. The album muses on the endless nature of our evolution, asking questions like: how can we have a positive relationship with change, how can we meet our ends gracefully, and is the world on fire or at home in the sun?
Starting over a decade ago playing coffee shops and local restaurants around North Carolina, Watchhouse is a grassroots success story that's been driven by Marlin's poignant songwriting. With sold-out shows at legendary venues like Red Rocks and the Ryman Auditorium, and hundreds of millions of streams, they've earned a reputation for creating music that "redefines roots music for a younger generation" (Washington Post). The duo — now with a family of their own — are two singers and musicians with profound chemistry, performing earnest yet masterfully crafted songs that encompass the unknowable mysteries, existential heartbreak, and communal joys of modern life. The forthcoming album is no exception.
