On their fourth studio album, I Got Heaven, Philadelphia punk and indie group Mannequin Pussy creates another masterpiece. With relentlessly clever lyricism and the instrumental to back it up, the group takes another step forward with a more alternative touch.
The album’s title track already sets the bar ridiculously high. A simple distorted guitar opening automatically gives way to the powerful duo of drummer, Kaleen Reading, and lead vocalist, Missy Dabice. Like an ocean, the track ebbs and flows with Dabice leading the way, but doesn’t get overly repetitive.
The entire album could fit that ocean metaphor very easily. They focus on Dabice’s silky smooth vocals, starting with the softer tracks. On “Loud Bark,” Dabice straddles the edge between silk and sandpaper. The verses are calm and reflective and have a vocal style that Olivia Rodrigo might be inspired by.
With softer guitar picking, snare-focused percussion, and deep, resonating bass notes, Dabice can help build into those louder sections. In those sandpaper sections, it’s powerful and unable to be ignored, with the instrumental raising the volume to support Dabice.
“Ok? Ok! Ok? Ok!” is the opposite of that entirely. Bear Regisford joins Dabice to give that harder edge, taking a more traditional growl approach to his vocals. But that doesn’t mean Dabice can’t rip it like Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox.
This track is vocally driven from the get-go, with a couple of instrumental flourishes here and there. The style plays back and forth throughout most of the record, including “Softly” and “I Don’t Know You.”
The best song on the record has to be “Sometimes,” with its soft beach vibes and honest lyricism. Going between soft strumming and hard distorted guitar sounds, Dabice keeps her voice soft even while the drums crash like waves around her voice.
“Sometimes” is an honest cry for someone to become part of someone’s life, but they don’t want them to sacrifice themselves. It’s a metaphor that fits everything from entering a new friend group to evolving into a relationship.
“Why’d you go and take your life and try to fit it into mine? / I know that it’s not right for us to stay / But sometimes.”
Overall, Mannequin Pussy created an ocean with its center of gravity, its lead vocalist. Maybe they’ll continue to build their solar system in upcoming releases.
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