Dream Wife - So When You Gonna

  by Zena Grieg

published: 13 / 9 / 2020

Label: Lucky Number Music
Format: CD

intro

Spirited and versatile second album from London-based Icelandic-UK pop-punk trio Dream Wife

London-based band Dream Wife (named after the 1950s romantic comedy starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr) are an Icelandic-UK pop-punk trio – Rakel Mjoll, Bella Podpadec and Alice Go – originally formed in Brighton, where they met studying art. They have now released their second album, ‘So When You Gonna…’. The band, known for their fervent support of female and non-binary artists, worked on the record with a creative team consisting only of women – producer Marta Salogni (Bjork, the xx, Holly Herndon, FKA Twigs), engineer Grace Banks (David Wrench, Marika Hackman) and mastering engineer Heba Kadry (Princess Nokia, Alex G, Beach House). While their debut album ‘Dream Wife’ embraced 1970s punk, 1980s new wave and 1990+ later indie and was characterized by relentless high energy, this new album is more nuanced and reflective. The mood, tempo and tone varies from track to track. The lyrics tackle less conventional topics such as miscarriage in ‘Temporary’, described by the band as “a song about having hope through waves of difficulties…. written for a friend who went through multiple miscarriages and is now pregnant again." The song's poignant but uplifting lyrics “With every loss, how do you carry through?/Know you’re brave to jump back into/I’ll applaud it” are carried by its catchy beat and melody, emphasizing the relevance of the title. In stark juxtaposition is the full-on punk-inspired title track. As Mjoll says, “It’s a dare, an invitation, a challenge. It’s about communicating your desires, wholehearted consent and the point where talking is no longer enough. It promotes body autonomy and self-empowerment through grabbing the moment, the fun stream-of-consciousness commentary highlighting its indomitableness.” ‘Sports!’, its music video directed and produced by the band, is a playful, absurd retro-video game jaunt through “multiple levels of reality and non-reality – exploring the nonsense of sports, toying with the seriousness of competition and the rigidity of rules” with its chorus challenging the prevailing gender imbalance in the music industry – “Now put your money where your mouth is/Put your money where your mouth is!” The album’s final track ‘After the Rain’, a ballad, addresses abortion and the freedom to choose, the chorus proclaiming “It’s my choice, my life/It’s my will, my sacrifice/It’s my body, my right/Not for others to decide”, set against a stripped back piano and guitar flowing into the sound of rain, quietly underscoring the importance of the words. An album of contrasts, this is a spirited and versatile follow-up by Dream Wife.

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