ALBUM REVIEW: Dream Nails – Doom Loop (Marshall Records)
Dream Nails are a London-based all-queer political-punk collective and Doom Loop is their second album, following 2020’s self-titled debut.
Where the first record (reviewed here)) was packed with hook-filled pop-punk anthems, Doom Loop sees the band move into edgier, angrier, more riot grrrl-inspired territory.
Produced by Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys, Amyl & The Sniffers), it sees the four-piece, who’ve had a change in personnel since the first record, tackle everything from incel culture to trans masculinity.
Anya Pearson (guitar), Lucy Katz (drums), Mimi Jasson (bass) and new frontman Ishmael Kirby have progressed from DIY roots to sign with Marshall Records, home to the likes of Therapy?, Nova Twins and Gen & The Degenerates.
Doom Loop sees them in much feistier mood than the idealistic, punchy anthems of the first record. They want to share a message they believe in, and to inspire change, action, and hope.
It kicks off with lead single Good Guy, a feminist riposte to the ‘not all men’ trope. Their message is clear as Ishmael sings: “It’s not a lone wolf, it’s the whole damn pack/It’s not a bad apple, it’s the whole damn tree.”
Social injustice
Case Dismissed, which has a deliciously sleazy bassline, is about the social injustice suffered by women, and Geraniums addresses ambiguous sexuality and diverse identities.
Prevenge is the sort of patriarchy-bashing song Dream Nails excel at, about getting your digs in first, while Monster is about how anyone can get sucked into cancel culture.
The standout track on the album for me is Sometimes I Do Get Lonely, Yeah, a half-rapped song written from the viewpoint of a young incel who finds like-minded men justifying their misogyny and sexual entitlement online. It reminds me in places of The Streets.
There’s a more playful feel to She’s Cutting My Hair, about having a crush on your hairdresser, while Femme Boi is about butch experiences, and Ballpit is an upbeat song about having fun for the sake of it, complete with funky bassline, jagged guitar and bouncy synths.
Subtle side
Perhaps the biggest surprise on the album is the closing track, Time Ain’t No Healer, which shows a very different, more subtle side to the band, with Mimi (I think) plaintively mourning a lost love in a tender piano ballad.
Doom Loop is a record which should appeal to fans of bands like Petrol Girls, Dream Wife, Sleater-Kinney and Witch Fever. You can get it from Dream Nails’ Bandcamp page HERE or direct from Marshall Records HERE. 8/10.
