There’s a moment on Rituals, Watchhouse’s new full-length record, when the Chapel Hill band slips out of its comfortable modern folk lane and into a darker gear. An instrumental breakdown closes ...

A few years ago, Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz rechristened their band with a new name, Watchhouse. It was a bold move for the duo, formerly known as Mandolin Orange, that invited a lot of questions.

Watchhouse evolved from Mandolin Orange into broader folk and ambient sound. Rituals channels life events, recovery and parenthood into layered, spacious songs. Marlin and Frantz reframed identity by ...