Taking their name after a 1953 film staring starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, the London based trio of Rakel Mjöll (lead vocals), Alice Go (guitar, vocals), and Bella Podpadec (bass, vocals) that make up Dream Wife are masters of combining the political with the playful. Their music is influenced by punk, pop and indie, while it lyrically addresses issues related to feminism, gender roles, body image and sexual objectification. The trio’s highly anticipated third album Social Lubrication is the rockiest, punchiest and rowdiest yet.
With a strong feelings of lust at the core of the album yet a brutal honesty surrounding their dislike for the patriarchy and its outdated systems and underhand codes of silence, Dream Wife want to cut the nonsense and get us all to show some empathy while dancing to punky, groove laden bangers. The wonderful thing about Social Lubrication is how eclectic it is, ranging from all out punk to floor filling disco bass lines and most importantly it has a positive message that you will have no problem getting behind whole heartedly.
While the overarching subject matter is socially conscious and highly observant, which enables Dream Wife to masterfully satire the patriarchy in accessible way whilst simultaneously making you feel more empowered and liberated. In many ways its a call-to-arms for empathy and understanding, an open, honest and nuanced look into the wonderful complexities of life and how we need to make a positive change to shed our shackles of outdated systems. Ultimately, it is fuzzy, dirty riffs brimming with electricity that have been explicitly made for dancing together in shared places.
Musically, we began to hear glimpses of this punky direction on 2020s So When You Gonna…, brief moments of dirty riffs starting to rise from under the surface. Songs such as ‘So When You Gonna…’, ‘Sports!’ and ‘Homesick’ marked the beginnings of Dream Wife’s punk era attitude. With the seeds of the album lying in the band’s live show, Dream Wife have managed to bottle up the frenetic, raw, raucous and ultimately joyful of their shows and pour it generously into Social Lubrication.
Throughout the album you get a strong sense of what Dream Wife are trying to build. Rooted in community, Social Lubrication seeks to create an environment of belonging and acceptance that breaks down the social barriers that have been enforced to deny connection, playfulness and sexual experimentation, curiosity and empowerment.
One song that epitomises this is ‘Curious’, which the band have stated is “the bisexual, polyamorous anthem we’ve all wanted to write”, a playful, danceable song that wants you to give into your curiosity. Tied into this, and where the lust themes can be most strongly felt, is ‘I Want You’ a funky, high-octane track that is a short, sharp, song about sex. When it comes to wryly taking the mick out of themselves ‘Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)’. A driving drum beat, jagged, screeched melodies and gritty bass line makes this song the funnest on the album. A similar formula can be found in riotous opener ‘Kick In The Teeth’ and the infectious ‘Who Do You Want To Be?’. While the more ballad-esque songs ‘Mascara’ and ‘Honestly’ offer up a fulfilling juxtaposition that helps you remember what this album is standing for amongst all the fun, danceable riffs.
Ultimately this is an album with lust in its various guises at its core. Dream Wife let loose spectacularly and are unapologetically themselves whilst encouraging you to do the same. The new punk era suits the band perfectly and long may it continue.