ALBUM REVIEW: Dream Nails – You Wish (Marshall Records)
Queer DIY punk collective Dream Nails are the only band I can think of who’ve had a different lead vocalist for each of their first three albums.
Janey Starling was up front for their self-titled 2020 debut (reviewed here) while Ishmael Kirby took over for the 2023 follow-up Doom Loop (reviewed here).
Now, after their departure, bassist Mimi Jasson has stepped up to the mic for You Wish, which sees Dream nails venture into new territory, while retaining the same core values.
It says much for the journey they’ve been on as a band that the now-three-piece have gone from playing hook-filled feminist pop-punk anthems, to edgier, angrier, riot grrrl, and now heavier but more melodic music.
I’m getting big whiffs of Pixies, The Breeders and Mannequin Pussy here, but for all its introspection, darker edge and spiritual curiosity, You Wish is still identifiably a Dream Nails record.
They explore universal themes and raise bigger questions, from our relationship with nature and technology to staying human in chaotic times, and guitarist Anya Pearson calls it “a punk album about resilience”.
Opener The Only Way Out Is Through could be straight off a later era Pixies record, while This Is Water and it’s repetitive refrain of “I’m swimming, I’m swimming” is a slice of alt-rock straight out of the ’90s.
Organoid, the lead single, is a paranoid explosion of tech-fuelled anxiety, and sees Jasson really let rip vocally in a way she rarely does on this album. It’s possibly the best of the 11 tracks on offer here.
Don’t get the impression they’ve lost their way though; this change of course is deliberate and feels right after a line-up change. There are big beefy riffs on The Spirit Does Not Burn, while Pack My Wax is a slow burner about connecting with the natural world.
House Of Bones has half-spoken vocals, while Can’t Lose mixes grungy guitar with dream pop and showcases Jasson’s vocals perfectly. At one point she posits “we didn’t need a singer”, and she’s right; they had one already, and her vocal performance is one of the best things about the record.
A throbbing bassline and propulsive drumming set the template for The Information, another standout track, about digital overload in this technological age, while the jaunty Move Like An Animal is the song which would best fit on one of their previous albums, with its jagged, stop-start riff, and lyrics about making friends with a horse.
Are Dream Nails a punk band any more? I don’t know, as much of You Wish is more alt-rock than punk. But while they’re clearly a band in transition, there’s been a progression in their sound, and it’ll be interesting to see which direction they turn next. 8/10.
- You Wish is available on vinyl, CD and digitally. You can get physical formats and other merch direct from the band’s website HERE.
