Mrs. Danvers is a real rarity: an all-female, queer-identified quintet devoted to making unashamedly catchy, energetic danceable pop/rock. Consisting of five young women from all over the country (Ohio, Miami, Alaska, and New England) who met at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mrs. Danvers’ sound is groovy while melodic, and reflects the varied influences and trained musicianship of its members. They count Elvis Costello, The Beatles, Hall & Oates, Django Reinhardt, and Cake as prime influences.

Though having formed only in January of 2009, Mrs. Danvers has already begun gigging around Boston, recording, and planning a summer tour. This past March, they had the opportunity to workshop two of their songs with one of their idols, Meshell Ndegeocello, who offered her sincere praise for the band. “You have something to say and people wanna hear it.”

The idea for the group began three years ago, while front-woman Annie D was a student at the University of Missouri, taking a course on the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Mrs. Danvers, the villain in his 1940 film, Rebecca, is one of cinema’s first depictions of a lesbian character, and like most early portrayals, it’s a negative one. By contrast, Mrs. Danvers, the band, is a positive representation of queer women with strength, talent, and serious sex appeal.

“It took me a while from the initial seed of an idea. First to get the hell out of Missouri and transfer to Berklee. And then from there, it took me another year and a half in Boston to find the right musicians for the project. It just so happens that I started to make a lot of gay friends, who also happened to be awesome musicians as well, so I finally had the opportunity to start the group,” – explains the 21-year old Annie D.

Dhy plays bass, creating lines that reflect her influences in neo-soul, funk, and pop and compliment the songwriting. The jazz-inclined Steph, who joined the group after impressing Annie D with facebook videos showing her technically dazzling drum solos, provides the rhythmic foundation on drums. The Alaska-bred Randi, a sought-after trumpet player at Berklee for gigs and sessions alike, provides confident, thoughtful horn lines that belie her mere 18 years. Vargas, a Miami native and music production and engineering student, plays synth, programmed beats, and handles recording duties for the band.

The chemistry between these young women on stage and their individual charisma bring a dynamic rare in the music industry. Ultimately, though, it is always about the music, and with infectious songs that are, at times, political (“Ten Years”) yearning (“Jamie”) and always sexy (“Honey Brown,” “Wicked One”) fans are gravitating towards the band. Simply put, Mrs. Danvers is a band to watch in 2009.