Putting Their Money Where Their Mouth Is
“I Am Not My Body, I Am Somebody”
Before I dive into the awesome music from this London-based trio, I want to focus on something much more important that Dream Wife strives for: gender-equality.
Their goals aren’t just generalized for the world, and they use their specific platform to achieve this within the music industry. There is a massive gender divide in the music industry that is currently estimated to be around 95% male and only 5% female. Since Dream Wife formed they’ve been outspoken about lifting up non-males in the industry. This initiative isn’t just about the now either; it’s also about encouraging the next generation of creative people.
Tomorrow, Dream Wife will release their sophomore album So When You Gonna… that further tackles this topic as well as the likes of abortion and miscarriage. The album was produced by an entirely non-male team comprised of producer and mixer Marta Solgni (Bjork, Holly Herndon, FKA Twigs), engineer Grace Banks (David Wrench, Marika Hackman), and mastering engineer Heba Kadry (Princess Nokia, Alex G, Beach House). The culmination is an exhilarating album that is equal parts punk, rock, and pop.
Alice Go (guitar and vocals) stated,
“It was amazing to work with this community of womxn on this album who are supporting each other in an industry that is so male-dominated. It was a way of us practicing what we preach. It felt like an honour to be able to deliver this baby with these three amazing midwives,”
Bella Podpadec (bass and vocals) added,
“What would you call the opposite of gate-keeping? Facilitator? Enabler? It’s all about opening the gates.”
Each song on So When You Gonna… takes on a life of its own and pulls in a variety of influences. I find myself stopping to ask who this song reminds me of, or who that one guitar riff brings to mind, or even if the opening cadence of “Act My Age“ reminds me of Bloc Party?
From the title track that will rock your face like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to the Metric-esque pop-influenced “Hold On Me,“ all the way to the gorgeous “After The Rain,“ their ability to keep you guessing from track to track is a thrill!
Dream Wife has been critically acclaimed all the way from the early days of their self-produced EPs up through their 2018 self-titled debut album. So When You Gonna… is another stellar addition to the catalog of these amazing and driven artists.
You should support artists everywhere, but especially those that stand for something. Dream Wife continues to put their money where their mouth is and lift up non-males in the music industry, and I am all about it!
So When You Gonna… drops everywhere this Friday, July 3rd
Tune In & Tune Out,
-Josh
Move over Arnold, Dream Wife now owns “Hasta La Vista“ after this super catchy jam
90’s pop has been outdone on their latest single “Temporary“
Lead single, “Sports“
Bonus Track - “Hey Heartbreaker“ (live on KEXP) from 2018’s self-titled debut album
