Queer punk collective Dream Nails have today announced their highly anticipated second album, and shared its lead single.
Good Guy is the first taste of Doom Loop, which has been three years in the making, and will be released by indie label Marshall Records on 13 October.
It sees the band shine a light on toxic masculinity, which they say is not just about a few rotten apples, but the “whole damn tree”.
Doom Loop is the follow-up to Dream Nails’ acclaimed self-titled debut album (reviewed here). It’s their first with singer Ishmael Kirby on the mic, after he replaced original vocalist Janey Starling in 2021.
“Doom Loop is an exploration of the repeated cycles we find ourselves in,” says Kirby, “from political injustice and patriarchal systems to the negative spirals of our minds.
“A doom loop is a crisis that starts to feed on itself. It feels like there is no escape. But there is. This album is a reflection of ourselves, the world we live in, and the one we want to create.”
Drummer Lucy Katz adds: “Specifically, Doom Loop delves into masculinity in its many forms. The good guy, the lads at school, the narcissistic politician, the incel, the sexual predator, the police officer. It looks into gender-based oppression from childhood; how isolation can breed violence against women and the rhetoric that spawns incels.”
False security
Good Guy highlights the phrase being used to lull people into a false sense of security. “It’s as if we couldn’t possibly believe there could be danger if someone describes themselves as the good guy,” says Ishmael.
“It reinforces that gender-based violence and attacks are one-off occurrences, denying our lived experiences as women and non-binary people.”
It’s inspired by the case of terrorist Elliot Rodger, who killed six people in a stabbing and shooting spree in California in 2014. Complaining about not being able to get a girlfriend, the 22-year-old declared ‘I am the true victim in all of this. I am the good guy.’
Dream Nails are an all-queer political punk collective made up of Anya Pearson (guitar), Lucy Katz (drums), Mimi Jasson (bass) and Ishmael Kirby (vocals), who have burst out of their DIY roots to sign with Marshall Records, the label offshoot of Marshall Amplification.
Punchy anthems
Dream Nails want more than idealistic, punchy anthems, something at which they already excel. They want their music to inspire change, action, and hope. They dream of “making the world a better place” and sharing a message they truly believe in.
For fans of Bikini Kill, Amyl and the Sniffers and label mates Nova Twins (with whom the band have toured extensively), Dream Nails want to share their music and their message as far and wide as they can. Doom Loop is available to pre-order now HERE, and it will be supported by the following tour dates.
