Dream Wife.

Brighton punk rock band Dream Wife have just recently realised their anticipated self-titled debut album on the record label Lucky Number. I’ve been a fan of this boisterous group for a number of years now, having the pleasure of catching their set at Latitude Festival this past summer.  The band harks back to gynocentric punk rock outfits like the Slits. Dream Wife pack one hell of a distorted punch with this new record.

Iceland-born Rakel Mjöll leads the band with her snarling vocals and a tough-women attitude.  She has an innocent charm about her appearance, but this is deceptive: her singing is loud, strong and screeching. I certainly wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of this singer!  In ‘F.U.U’ she mimics the Spice girls and sings “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really want, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna fuck you up”, all to backing of heavily distorted power chords. Dream Wife cement themselves as the anti-girl band here: they are scary and unruly and could beat Iron Maiden in a battle of the bands competition.

Dream Wife (Album Cover)

The album consists of many short and sweet rambunctious punk tunes that the Sex Pistols would be proud of. ‘Lets make out’ is a highlight for me. The harmonising is great, and the guitar riffs are even better. ‘Taste’ is perhaps my favourite tune on the record. The song is loud and unruly, but the guitar is  clear and optimises interesting palm muting techniques. ‘Kids’ is a song about reminiscing about the great past: the nostalgia is pleasant. ‘Love Without Reason’ show that the band can adopt a slower and more sentimental tone. For me, the combination of front women Mjöll’s varying and unpredictable vocals and complex thrash guitar riffs make for a winning combination.

Dream Wife’s first album is a breath of fresh air. For those who are inclined towards indie music with a heavy, self-assertive twist, do yourselves a favour and go check ‘Dream Wife’ out!