Sometimes rock and roll is what it is. Sleazy guitars, loud drums, and the vocals border on exotic. London’s Dream Wife is exactly that. The band doesn’t pretend to be anything they aren’t; they are a party rock, loudmouth, in your face rock and roll band, and they couldn’t be any better at doing it, and on the collection of songs that make up their self-titled debut release (out January 26 via Lucky Number), they showcase it thoroughly.
The opening riff of “Let’s Make Out”, the opening track of the album, sets an unbelievable tone for the rest of the album. It’s fun, it’s boisterous, and these women know how to make you wrap your mind around every riff. They have an incredibly personal and raw feel to them lyrically, and the content: love, sex, being yourself, these are themes that are deeply enriched in rock music. When Dream Wife plays these songs, it feels on a deeper level.
Some may call Dream Wife a feminist rock anthem record, and to an extent they are correct; the album has that special tint of feminine persuasion, but that only makes it more intoxicating and more open. This band sings songs that you can connect to, to a wide audience. Rock and roll is a language spoken to us all who feel the draw to a distortion pedal or a Les Paul. Dream Wife is a perfect example of rock and roll for a new generation.
For those of you who love your lovey ballads, there’s not much here; Dream Wife just isn’t that kind of band, but there’s still plenty of love to go around. “Spend the Night” and “Love Without Reason” can pull at the heartstrings a little, and when Rakel Mjöll sings out “They say it’s easy to fill this heart, let’s start”, you can harken back to all those times you felt most loved by your rock and roll king or queen.
Overall, Dream Wife is the start of an amazing movement of kick ass feminist rock for the 21st century while also out rocking most bands many years their senior. Dream Wife’s new album drops January 26 — find it here. You can stream the full album at NPR here.
