Dream Wife - Social Lubrication

While the so-called indie sleaze revival amounts to very little at all, it does give a good jumping off point for Dream Wife’s third album. Not the oversaturated images of inebriated indie A-listers the internet would have you believe it was, but the wholehearted embrace of the sticky, sweaty, lust-fuelled dancefloor. ‘Social Lubrication’ sees the trio loosening up and letting go, resulting in a record that’s both a progression, and that shows off wonderfully just what made them so exciting to begin with. There’s a knowing wink from the off, opener ‘Kick In The Teeth’ nailing a wiry guitar line and disco beat while Rakel Mjöll wryly quips, “Lolita’s all grown up now / Who knew?”. ‘Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)’ brings a giggle too, while ‘Leech’ and ‘Who Do You Wanna Be?’ continue the band’s thread of delivering important messages. The title track offers both a giant riff and an even bigger disco chorus - think ‘Parallel Lines’-era Blondie with added Kathleen Hanna - while the epic ‘Mascara’ tells its late-night tales so vividly as to incite nostalgia for venues never visited. The sensual ‘Honestly’ simmers for four-plus minutes of intense eye contact (it’s here, perhaps, where guitarist Alice Go being on production duties has most impact; should there be a sonic take on the filmmaker’s female gaze, this is it), while the record’s themes seem to culminate in the pure pleasure of ‘I Want You’, a message as direct as its title, delivered via riotous garage rock riffs bringing it all full-circle.