❉ A gorgeous second outing and a catchy slice of indie punk at its energetic best.
So When You Gonna is the sophomore album for sassy art school indie punks, Dream Wife.
Picking up where they left off from their outstanding debut in their self titled record, the fierce London-based trio are back, two years since their first outing.
The band’s emergence didn’t go unnoticed,being added to bills that included Sleigh Bells, The Kills and Garbage in addition to their own sold-out shows with the song ‘FUU,’ featuring as a sync on Netflix’ Orange Is The New Black. Using their platform for good, highlighting issues for womxn and non-binary people in the industry, empowering them with their ‘girls to the front’ style and policy, Dream Wife are renowned for their politically charged, boundless energy and a must-see for any gig-goer with a penchant for Riot grrrl.
Produced and mixed by an exclusively non-male team, So When You Gonna is a pick n’ mix of anthemic punk pop, New York-style Garage punk a-la Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and indie ballads, with the sound and staying power of glitter.
The collaboration, albeit fun and full of playful undertones, doesn’t shy away from empowering the community they represent at their core, addressing abortion, miscarriage, and gender equality.
Lead single release Sports! starts the record off with a bang with ferocious X-Ray Spex-esque vocals accompanied by rhythmic post-punk. The band found themselves twiddling their thumbs in between tours that they remedied by playing sports together, this track being ‘an ode to those moments in which they needed to expel some post-tour energy.’ The result is a playful, adrenaline fuelled track that is sure to become an earworm.
Rakel Mjöll’s sugary range is showcased in the wonderfully poppy ballad, Hasta La Vista, a pleasant deviation from the trio’s usual, further displaying that the band can occasionally indulge in their more sensitive side, and it looks good on them. See also After The Rain, an heart wrenching, piano heavy ballad that explores grief and body autonomy to end the record on.
The title track So When You Gonna captures the urgency and excitement of living in the now, a consistent theme throughout the record. ‘It’s an invitation, a challenge, a call to action,’ Mjöll comments. With catchy vocal hooks and guitars laced with attitude and a Garage punk feel, this is a song I really look forward to seeing live along with Homesick, another favourite of mine from this record.
These three have so much more to offer and contribute to this industry than the music they play. With the launch of a new podcast, aptly named So When You Gonna after the album title, this will enable the spotlight to shine on womxn and non-binary creatives.
Each episode will feature an industry creative invited to wax lyrical on their role and how to go about getting into such communities within the industry, acting as a Skill-share for fans.
There’s so much to like about this record and its themes throughout. A gorgeous second outing and a catchy slice of indie punk at its energetic best, this won’t be the last we hear.
So When You Gonna is out through Lucky Number. Their tour kicks off in Spring 2021. See you there.
❉ Dream Wife – ‘So When You Gonna….’, was released 3rd July 2020 via Lucky Number. CLICK HERE.
❉ Cori Ann Smith is a writer for We Are Cult. A Cardiff-based Literature grad, Horror nerd & eclectic Indie cindy, you’ll mostly find her immersed in a book or in a festival crowd, usually with a beer. Perpetually working on a book of short stories… @coriflowercheez on Twitter.
