Dream Wife are a three piece hailing from Brighton. Before this album I have to admit that I’d never really listened to their stuff, not to do with disliking them or anything I just hadn’t got around to listening to them yet. Luckily, I saw this album in Rough Trade and it reminded me of Dream Wife and how I’d kept meaning to listen to them, and of course a debut album I always the best place to start. Unfortunately I didn’t buy the vinyl that day (I now wish I had) but instead added the album to my driving to work playlist.
I thought they were a punk band, purely because they portray themselves as quite edgy and different. So I put this album on after listening to Shame’s Songs of Praise, which turned out to be a dramatic difference in sound, Dream Wife have developed a mix of electro, pop, rock and everything in between. It’s really hard to nail this down to just one genre due to the diverse sounds the trio create.
I’m a big fan of tracks like ‘Let’s Make Out’ and ‘Hey Heartbreaker’ both really catchy and potential chart breakers. And there really is something for everyone on this album, whether you’re a fan of heavier music or softer tones you will find at least something to enjoy. Is the album groundbreaking? No, not really. But it refines and polishes what it is doing, to make you think that this is something and that’s a very hard thing to do.
This is actually a really enjoyable, perfect for those glum trips to work in the morning and a bit of a perk up on the trip home as well. They’re obviously very talented songwriters with catchy hooks a plenty and well written, amusing verses in between to match. I can see this taking an early stab at my end of year list…
Not to mention, I love the image and the ideas of the band. They’re very progressive and that’s only a good thing for music, I want to see more all-female groups making it in the music business. We’re making progress with people like The Big Moon gaining a significant fan base and being nominated for a mercury prize but it’s not enough. Some of the best bands out right now are female-fronted like Goat Girl, Estrons, Black Honey, Yonaka, Chvrches, Pale Waves, The Orielles, Bully, Alvvays and so much more.
8/10