Aggressively Progressive
One of the best things about girl band alt-punk music in the style of ’90s riot grrrl bands is the bait-and-switch of assuming the music will be a certain way, and then listening to pure independence and freedom. That’s what the opener of Dream Wife’s debut album, Dream Wife, feels like. The title, “Let’s Make Out,” conjures in the mind images of notes passed in elementary school, and whispers of crushes. Dream Wife does away with the secrecy of this archetype, and lead singer Rakel Mjöll gives her best horror wails on the chorus. The return after such raw energy to more safe-sounding millennial “ooh” sections also introduces a battle this album faces between safety and eff-it attitudes. Balancing individuality with familiarity is the cross to bear with a lot of music, and Dream Wife’s debut strikes a strong balance for a new act.
The originality is not lacking in the vocal or lyrics department, that’s for sure. “Somebody” shows off Mjöll’s eccentric Icelandic voice as well as providing a great line in, “I am not my body / I am somebody.” The actual timbre of the guitars and production though, is what needs a bit more punch and mystery to match the strength of Mjöll’s bits. The guitar on “Hey Heartbreaker” has been heard before, and while it’s not a bad sound, the vocal strength needs something with more bite than the music from a Hulu commercial. However, that being said, the guitar tone has areas where it works very well. Dream Wife’s brand of electric guitar sounds a lot better on slower, throwback songs. “Love Without Reason” delivers power ’80s “Time After Time” feelings, with the aforementioned lyrical and vocal strength to make the line “let’s be kids” soar to a new strength when one imagines saying it to a lover.
The highlight of the album is “Taste.” No beating around the bush, this is a great song. Bikini Kill is being channeled to full effect with the inspired, terrifying to perfection screaming over poppy alt guitars, with great riffs to match. Everything comes together in a fantastic, punkified way. The rest of the album delivers more low key energy that feels like a denouement to the climax of “Taste,” but in a way that feels 100% worth it to have been witness to that exquisite feminine wrath.
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