In March 2017, months before #MeToo and #TimesUp, London trio Dream Wife released “Somebody,” a poignant anthem dressed as a boppy punk track. The first single ahead of their 2018 full-length debut declared “I am not my body, I am somebody” over a whispering bassline, a notion women had long been rallying behind, though now consumed communally through the band’s dynamic live shows. Eventually the women, lead vocalist Rakel Mjöll, guitarist Alice Go and bassist Bella Podpadec began to notice the audience singing the refrain back to them, people of all genders approaching the band to share their appreciation for the song, showing off tattoos with the lyrics marked onto their skin forever. It felt like something was happening, a visceral reaction to political and social unrest, a cultural change sparked by a punk mindset. On their self-titled debut, Dream Wife create chaos and tension with Go’s beheading riffs, romanticism and indignation in Mjöll’s chameleonic wail and coax out a groove via Podpadec’s bass. Every song drips with urgency yet is endlessly danceable; they maintain that the revolution will be punctuated with love—that women can can have both sexual desires and bodily independence, can get in a fight and have a crush. If a dream wife is meant to serve every fantasy, this one has succeeded. We have this album on exclusive red vinyl.
