- Released: 2020
- Origin: Brighton, England
- Label: Lucky Number
- Best Track: Hold on Me
When Dream Wife first started to make noises three years ago or so, I read a description of them that’s stuck with me – a cross between the Spice Girls and The Fall.
It sounds ridiculous, and disastrous, but it’s apt, and stranger still, it works! The songs are confident and hedonistic, while Icelandic frontwoman Rakel Mjöll’s delivery is acerbic and authoritative. And they probably would sound very poppy were it not for the post-punk guitars.
It worked wonderfully on their 2018 self-titled debut. With this follow-up, I didn’t care for it on first listen, but it is growing on me. Especially the final two tracks, the Britpoppy ‘Hold on Me’ and tender feminist ballad ‘After the Rain’.
I’d still say there isn’t really a track I love on So When You Gonna… – certainly nothing up there with ‘Fire’, ‘Somebody’ or ‘Spend the Night’. It feels a little like some of the early attitude has been lost, although the title track and ‘Sports!’ do their best to restore it. It is pretty solid, nonetheless, and it will be interesting to see where they go next.
