Dream Wife // Dream Wife

Dream Wife

Dream Wife

Lucky Number

3.75/5 Stars

Incendiary and infectious, Dream Wife's debut hits the ground running. This is an effectively rocking album that hearkens back to early 2000s Swedish female-fronted bands like The Sounds and The Sahara Hotnights. There's a bite there that's more raw though, one brightened by the riot grrl sound, a visceral punk ethos — albeit one that's grounded in garage-pop, almost radio-friendly sensibilities. Filled with handclaps and overdriven riffs, nearly every song is an anthem unto itself. The trio, headquartered in London, is comprised of vocalist Rakel Mjöll, bassist Bella Podpadec, and guitarist Alice Go. Remarkably enough, the band began almost as a joke, in a mockumentary film project similar to This Is Spinal Tap. It turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, however, as the real-life band quickly began to take shape. One of the strangest parts of everything though, is how sincere the actual music ends up being. The album begins with a simple, party-inducing request of "Let's Make Out" and doubles down on the band's reclaimed sexuality with the repeated lines in "Somebody" ( you were a cute girl standing backstage. It was bound to happen. ) Catchy standout tracks include "Hey Heartbreaker," "Act My Age," and "Kids." — Nick Warren