Dream Wife – ‘Social Lubrication’ review: the most fun they’ve ever had

16 June, 2023

Dream Wife

Dream Wife have always been ready to dismantle the patriarchy and rail against the injustices and inequality of the world. On their 2018 self-titled debut album, they introduced themselves as a trio who refused to be merely eye candy for onlookers – “I am not my body, I am somebody,” they declared on ‘Somebody’. ‘Homesick’, taken from 2020’s ‘So When You Gonna…’, saw them unabashedly claim their sexuality and explicit desires.

‘Social Lubrication’, their third album, finds them picking up where they left off – and then ramping things up several notches. Across its 10 tracks, the three-piece deliver pointed and poignant messages about the world we’re living in, but do so in a way that never gets too serious or heavy-handed. Instead, Dream Wife sound like they’re having the most fun they’ve ever had – and we’re all invited to join in the merriment.

On the record’s title track, they send up the things women are told about aging and their role in society – “I’ve aborted this unsolicited advice, play nice,” Rakel Mjöll sneers. “Be attractive but don’t bank on it / Your womb is a ticking time bomb.” As the song continues, guitarist Alice Go and bassist Bella Podpadec twist it into a bouncy banger for the indie disco, a concept made all the more thrilling as their bandmate continues her takedown of patriarchal forces.

The creeping, wiry ‘Leech’ serves up a largely spoken word dismissal of men who abuse their power and uphold misogyny in their daily interactions. “Proven guilty until nothing is wrong, eh? / Did you take that picture of me asleep / Laughing about that time you got kicked out of your uni?” Mjöll asks, voice detached and monotonous. Her delivery doesn’t stay that way for long, though, it rising and coursing with emotion as she half-mocks, half-threatens, “Just have some fucking empathy” and then shifts gear into a blood-curdling scream: “The leech is out for blood / They won’t stop, won’t stop / Til they get every drop.”

There are plenty of lessons to be learned between the humour and discordance on ‘Social Lubrication’, not least via the riotous ‘Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)’. “Date a plumber or an electrician / A landscape architect or even a magician,” Dream Wife urge us. “Date a professor or physician / Just anyone besides a musician.” On the Blondie-reminiscent ‘Curious’, they remind us lust, desire, love and fun don’t have to end when your hair turns grey and you’re no longer in the prime of youth. “My grandma is 85 / She tells me she’s finally peaking, ah, just about ripe / And so is her sex life ” Mjöll sings.

Another blistering, brilliant missive from one of rock’s most fearless bands, on ‘Social Lubrication’, Dream Wife prove two things. Firstly, social commentary and exorcising your fury at the world don’t have to be joyless, and secondly, they’re still one of the most vital acts we’ve got right now.