I have to admit that when starting listening through to Brighton's Dream Wife's eponymous debut album yesterday I was somewhat cynical. They seemed to smack to me of hype, something I'm always slightly cynical of and more so with the passing years, or else an art conceit which always walks a fine line. But listening to it I was won over by one thing or the other, mostly the quality of the songs, and when I came to the end of the record I duly listened straight through to it again.
They'll certainly remind you of certain things. I was variously minded of Yeah Yeah Yeah's Elastica, Girl Riot and other Punky concerns. Singer Alice Go's, nervy but energetic delivery recalled Cerys Matthews and even Life Without Buildings wonderful Sue Tompkins at various points. When they're at their most self-conscious, (and they are very self-conscious), they veer too close to Franz Ferdinand territory for my personal taste. But the band have a definite identity and ambition of their own and Dream Wife certainly isn't wanting for strong songs and something to say. The record did it for me for the most point despite being aimed at a much younger audience than me and I suspect it will grow on me more with further spins. So that's a thumbs up from over here.
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