Mandy Lee Reintroduces Herself as Cherry Bomb

Mandy Lee spent years fronting MisterWives, but Cherry Bomb operates on different coordinates. The name has nothing to do with the Runaways song. It came from a childhood nickname, and the solo work positions Lee’s voice inside a lineage of electronic pop that runs from Donna Summer and Debbie Harry to Kate Bush. Lee has pointed to Bush as an early songwriting model. “I also have a voice that’s a little quirky,” she said.

The project follows a familiar band arc. After signing to major labels and being dropped multiple times, MisterWives entered a hiatus. Lee, who was legally emancipated at 15 and graduated from LaGuardia High School, is now reintroducing herself on her own terms. Early Cherry Bomb singles like “Never Be Me (M★therf★cker)” and “Digital Girl” lean into bright, kinetic arrangements and visuals that avoid revivalism. Lee frames the work as a tribute to the women who shaped her performance and writing.

Launching a solo identity after a band’s indefinite pause carries risk, especially when the group’s catalog remains tied to major-label false starts. But Cherry Bomb does not sound like an attempt to recapture past momentum. It works as a more deliberate address: an artist separating personal influence from group obligation, letting reference points serve the songs rather than decorate them.