London-based trio Dream Wife – vocalist Rakel Mjöll (she/her), guitarist Alice Go (she/her), bassist Bella Podpadec (they/them) – will release their electrifying third album, Social Lubrication, on June 9th via Lucky Number. The band have already shared three singles – the dance rock “Orbit,” the cheeky “Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)” and the rock-heavy “Leech.”
Today, the band takes on capitalism and faux-activism with the album’s newest single “Who Do You Wanna Be?” which they note is “about running on the capitalist treadmill and falling face first on the pavement. Hollow slogans, social media activism without action, leftist infighting, monetising feminism, ‘girl boss’, all soul crushing nonsense. Capitalism consumes everything. We should tear down the unreachable anxiety filled idea of perfectionism and move from hyper individualised narrative to collective action to create hopeful, rebellious, collective, systems of care. This is a call to arms for change.” The single releases alongside a performance video filmed in an abandoned leisure center pool in East London.
Following an explosive return stateside for a packed SXSW earlier this year, Dream Wife, known for their powerful live shows, will play a string of U.S. dates this Fall, including Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Franciso, and more. See below to find a show near you, and get your ticketsHERE.
Social Lubrication is an entirely self-written and self-produced album, mixed by duo Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, Depeche Mode) and Caesar Edmunds(Wet Leg, Beach House). The album finds the band once again playfully tackling big subjects like bodily autonomy, dismantling the patriarchy and using your platform for the greater good, while truly translating the visceral nature of their riotous live shows to tape for the first time. Social Lubrication follows their UK Top 20 breakthrough with their sophomore record So When You Gonna…. What came next was remixes for the likes of Rina Sawayama, Nova Twins and Porridge Radio, and international touring at festivals such as Lollapalooza (US), Laneway (AU), Summersonic (JP), Primavera (ES) and Pitchfork (FR) as well as opening slots forGarbage, The Kills, and even the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park.
Dream Wife have come a long way since their 2018 self-titled debut. Their last album, smashed the Official UK Top 20 album charts (the only indie album recorded and produced by all women at the time to do so), and earned them universal praise and countless sold-out shows Alongside their accolades, however, Dream Wife have always advocated for upholding the community on a truly ground level and paying it forward. Proceeds from direct digital sales of So When You Gonna… went to Black Minds Matter and Gendered Intelligence. In 2021, the band released a megamix for Rainbow Mind, a mental health charity for LGBTQIA people, with contributions from Shirley Manson, The Big Moon, Big Joanie and Girli among others.
