Three Of Swords (PRE ORDER)
Releases January 9th 2026
Grey Smoke Swirl Vinyl
Private Wives are a ferocious all-girl punk band from Wollongong, armed with grit, heart, and a sound that cuts straight to the bone. Their music is loud, raw, and unapologetically real. A collision of snarling guitars, pounding drums, and vocals that bleed honesty. With every show, they bring chaos and catharsis in equal measure, channelling frustration, anger, and defiance into something beautifully unrestrained. For anyone who’s ever felt overlooked, underestimated, or pushed aside, Private Wives are the voice screaming back.
Now, they unleash THREE OF SWORDS, their long-awaited debut album, and a fearless excavation of heartbreak, rage, and reclamation. Across ten blistering tracks, Private Wives transform pain into power, capturing the jagged edges of womanhood and survival with brutal precision.
Alongside the album announcement comes the release of “Heartlines,” a gut-wrenching examination of girlhood, power, and the painful edges of growing up too soon. More confrontation than love song, it lays bare how innocence is manipulated and youth is exploited under the guise of affection. Through hauntingly personal lyrics, the track exposes the cultural blind spots that romanticise predation and leave young women to navigate the fallout alone. Musically, it balances fragility and fury, mirroring the emotional whiplash of awakening to exploitation and reclaiming one’s voice. “Heartlines” is Private Wives at their most fearless: turning shame into defiance, silence into something that demands to be heard.
The album takes its name from the Three of Swords tarot card, a symbol of heartbreak, grief, and the piercing truth that comes with revelation. The card’s image, a heart stabbed by three blades, represents sorrow that can’t be ignored, but also the cleansing clarity that follows when illusion is stripped away. For Private Wives, THREE OF SWORDS is both wound and weapon: the sound of pulling those swords out yourself and learning to bleed on your own terms.
Following previously released singles “Heartlines,” “The Fool,” and “Haymaker,” these songs pull back the curtain on the full story of THREE OF SWORDS - a journey through heartbreak, fury, and the slow, painful work of healing. From the desperate plea of “Can You Hear Me” to the bruised defiance of “Tough Man,” and the bloodied vengeance of “Blood in the Water,” each track cuts deeper into themes of betrayal, survival, and self-worth. “Evan” and “Sloe” ache with longing and disillusion, where love blurs into a hollow fantasy. “Scream” burns with righteous anger and warning, exposing the cruelty of impunity, while “Driving Me Crazy” spirals into the chaos of heartbreak pushed past its limit. Together, they trace the emotional aftermath of the Three of Swords itself. It’s a story of wounds and reclamation, of learning to pull the blades from your own heart and wear the scars like armour.
Recorded at The Pet Food Factory by Jason Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb), mixed by Mo Mayhem, and mastered by Mikey Young, THREE OF SWORDS captures the chaos and catharsis of Private Wives’ live energy without losing the intimacy of their message. Released through Farmer & the Owl and supported by Seismic Talent, Private Wives will be taking the stage across the East Coast of the country in January to spread their message. This album cements Private Wives as one of the most vital voices in Australia’s punk landscape: unafraid to scream about the things most people whisper.
THREE OF SWORDS isn’t just an album, it’s a confrontation, a confession, and a reclamation. It’s the sound of heartbreak sharpened into a blade, and of women refusing to let pain be the final word.
From the sweaty dives of Wollongong to wherever their music lands next, Private Wives continue to carve their truth in distortion and defiance. THREE OF SWORDS is their declaration: heartbreak may pierce the heart, but it never takes the fight out of it.
