Chastity Belt was formed in
Walla Walla, Washington, during 2010 while its members were students at
Whitman College.
Childbirth frontwoman Julia Shapiro became the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, with fellow lead guitarist Lydia Lund, bassist Hunter Truscott, and drummer Gretchen Grimm. They take a humorous approach to feminine stereotypes and customs in their lyrics, challenging gender norms and femininity as a construct. The band's second studio album,
Time to Go Home, was released on March 24, 2015, on
Hardly Art. It received a positive reception from music critics. The band's third studio album,
I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone, was released on June 2, 2017, also on Hardly Art. The album received significant praise from NPR's Mike Katzif, who wrote, "
I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone is a thoughtful, reflective album, constantly searching for direction to and questioning every solitary, restless feeling, yet it's that intimacy that allows us to know a new, perhaps truer side to the artists. It takes an extraordinary amount of self-confidence to expose that process for all to hear." After a brief hiatus in 2018, the group announced on July 10, 2019, that its fourth LP would be self-titled as
Chastity Belt, and would be released on September 20. The single "Ann's Jam" was released along with the announcement. Writing for
The Fader, Alex Robert Ross called it "the indie four-piece's lushest and most mournful-sounding album yet." Upon its release,
Pitchforks Abby Jones described the album as "their dreamiest and most tranquil." The group went on a tour as direct support for the rock musician
Kurt Vile in 2021. ==Members==