Arts & Culture
Dream Wife announce New Album: 'Social Lubrication'

By Tyler Ody

DREAM WIFE

ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM:
‘SOCIAL LUBRICATION’
OUT 9 JUNE VIA LUCKY NUMBER 
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE HERE

+ RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
“HOT (DON’T DATE A MUSICIAN)”
STREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE || WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

+ UK RELEASE SHOWS + FESTIVALS 

 

London-based trio Dream Wife – vocalist Rakel Mjöll (she/her), guitarist Alice Go (she/her), bassist Bella Podpadec (they/them) – announce that their highly anticipated third album, entitled ‘Social Lubrication’, will be released on June 9 via Lucky Number and also share brand new single  “Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)”.

STREAM “HOT..” ON ALL SERVICES HERE || WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

‘Social Lubrication’ showcases a band in electrifying form. An entirely self-written and self-produced album, with the only outside influence being the heavyweight mixing duo of Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, Depeche Mode) and Caesar Edmunds (Wet Leg, Beach House), the incendiary and riotous record finds the band once again tackling big subjects in their trademark unapologetic manner where, with the band being adept at merging the political with the playful, vital statements are hidden within hot and heavy anthems about making out, having fun and staying curious.

‘Social Lubrication’, in the band’s words, is “Hyper lusty rock and roll with a political punch, exploring the alchemy of attraction, the lust for life, embracing community and calling out the patriarchy. With a healthy dose of playfulness and fun thrown in.”

The playfulness of the album is to the fore on “Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)”, the silly, sexy second single shared from the album to-date.  Inspired by Rakel’s grandmother’s sage advice – advice that she, herself, didn’t follow - the track wryly pokes fun at musicians, themselves included. “Don’t date a musician,” sings Rakel over infectious, B52’s-style drums and jagged, angular melodies. “They’ll think you’re competition / I was never competition, I was just… hot.”

Rakel says, “Dating musicians is a nightmare. Evoking imagery of late night make-outs with fuckboy/girl/ambiguously-gendered musicians on their mattress after being seduced by song-writing chat. The roles being equally reversed. Having a laugh together and being able to poke fun at ourselves is very much at the heart of this band. This song encapsulates our shared sense of humour. Sonically it is the lovechild of CSS and Motorhead. It has our hard, live, rock edge combined with cheeky and playful vocals.”

Watch the Bethany Fitter directed video for “Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)” HERE.

“Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)” follows “Leech”, the albums bold and explosive first single, a rock-heavy, call-to-arms for empathy, in a world still propped up by patriarchal systems and underhand codes of silence. These themes – exhaustion with the patriarchy, a rejection of the systems built to contain us – simmer and spit throughout Social Lubrication. In conjunction the album’s celebration of community is a middle finger to the societal barriers enforced to sever connection, playfulness, curiosity and sexual empowerment.

“Music is one of the only forms of people experiencing an emotion together in a visceral, physical, real way,” says Alice. “It’s cathartic to the systemic issues that are being called out across the board in the record. Music isn’t the cure, but it’s the remedy. Calling the record Social Lubrication harks to that. It’s the positive glue that can create solidarity and community.”

“The album is speaking to systemic problems that cannot be glossed over by lube,”says Bella. “The things named in the songs are symptoms of f-ed up structures. And you can’t fix that. You need to pull it apart.”

Planning release shows and festival dates, catch the band at these fixtures as follows:

Dream Wife - Tour dates:
Monday 13 - Saturday 18 March - Austin TX, US @ SXSW Festival
Friday 5 May - Reading, UK @ Are You Listening?
Saturday 6 May - Wrexham, UK @ The Rockin’ Chair
Monday 12 June - Kingston, UK @ Banquet
Tuesday 13 June - Brighton, UK @ Resident
Wednesday 14 June - London, UK @ Rough Trade East
Sunday 9 July - Glasgow, UK @ TRNSMT Festival
Sunday 23 July - Ireland, UK @ Forest Fest Music & Arts Festival 
Friday 28 July - Thirsk, UK @ Deer Shed Festival

Tickets available here: https://www.dreamwife.co/tour

DREAM WIFE - ‘SOCIAL LUBCRICATION’
OUT 9 JUNE VIA LUCKY NUMBER
PRE-SAVE/PRE-ORDER HERE
 

*****

Dream Wife have come a long way since their 2018 self-titled debut. Their last album, So When You Gonna… smashed the Official UK Top 20 album charts (the only indie album recorded and produced by all women at the time to do so). They’ve toured internationally, performing at festivals such as Lollapalooza (US), Laneway (AU), Summersonic (JP), Primavera (ES) and Pitchfork (FR) as well as opening for the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, Garbage, and for The Kills, Sleigh Bells and Sunflower Bean across North America. Their music has appeared on numerous TV soundtracks and they’ve remixed tracks by Rina Sawayama, Nova Twins, Porridge Radio and more. 

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 mega mix for Rainbow Mind, a mental health charity for LGBTQIA people, with contributions from Shirley Manson, The Big Moon, Big Joanie and Girli among others.

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