Dream Wife - Dream Wife

Dream Wife - Dream Wife (2018)

Genre: Punk Rock, Indie Rock

I'm glad to have casually stumbled upon this. An awesome debut punk record with tons of feminist spunk released in 2018. Not something I expected, but I'll take it. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

In an age where mainstream rock has mostly subverted to acoustic and synth applications, it's always refreshing to hear the raw sounds of a new punk record. I would have never expected that one of the more memorable punk albums of 2018 would be a product of a female trio. It's amazing how much raw aggression and energy these three provide here, exploring themes of gender stereotypes, lust, and even rape culture in the track Somebody. While there's not a whole lot of depth in these themes, the catchy and abbrasive hooks still makes for an enthralling punk delight.

The opening track Let's Make Out makes for quite an impression and let's you know exactly what you're getting into. This is back to basics indie punk, drawing on influences like The Slits and other post-punk bands. The closing track F.U.U. is the one that sticks out the most from the formula, even including Icelandic rapper Fever Dream dropping some bars in their native language. It's incredibly tongue-in-cheek, and while admittedly my least favorite track, I can't deny that it does well in capturing the unadulterated "F U" attitude of punk.

Among the rest of the track listing, you get more of the same, really. As I stated, this album isn't here to reinvent the wheel. For the purpose that it serves, it serves it well. I wasn't originally going to review this, as I honestly find it difficult to expand my thoughts on this record too much. But I still wanted to give this album some exposure, as for the most part, it was fun, catchy, and I can't help but applaud a great female punk group when I come across them. Definitely give this album a listen if you're into any of the punk-rock revival groups of the late 90's and early 2000's, especially.

A-

Favorite Tracks: Let's Make Out, Hey Heartbreaker, Somebody, Taste, Fire

Least Favorite Track: F.U.U.