London-based trio Dream Wife – vocalist Rakel Mjöll (she/her), guitarist Alice Go (she/her), bassist Bella Podpadec (they/them) – recently announced their electrifying third album, Social Lubrication, out June 9th via Lucky Number. The band have already shared two singles – the cheeky “Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)” and the rock-heavy call-to-arms “Leech” – and made an explosive return stateside for a packed SXSW, and today they’re back with a new single and the announcement of U.S. tour dates.
Produced by the band’s own Alice Go, “Orbit” finds Dream Wife at their best as they gear up to release their new record. “Written through the joy of jamming together and locking into the groove like a multi limbed space age organism, ‘Orbit’ has a dance rock edge from the early noughties of bands like New Young Pony Club and Yeah Yeah Yeahs,” the band explains. “Lyrically, it was inspired by post-lockdown London coming back to life and sharing a space through friendship and community. And how each day you never know what’s in store for you or how a stranger can become someone close to you – for a day, a heartbeat, a phase, or a lifetime.” Listen to “Orbit” now and watch its kaleidoscopic video directed by Sophie Webster:
Known for their powerful live show that tore its way through Austin last month, Dream Wife will play a string of U.S. dates this Fall, including Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Franciso and more.
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 for Garbage, The Kills, and even the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park.
Pre-order Social Lubrication HERE
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.
Tour Dates (US in bold)
May 5 – Reading, UK @ Are You Listening?
May 6 – Wrexham, UK @ The Rockin’ Chair
May 20 – Cardiff, UK @ Celebrate This Place
May 26 – Saint-Brieuc, France @ Festival Art Rock
June 3 – London, UK @ Troxy supporting Le Tigre
June 12 – Kingston, UK @ Banquet
June 13 – Brighton, UK @ Resident
June 14 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East
July 9 – Glasgow, UK @ TRNSMT Festival
July 14 – Austurvegur, Iceland @ LungA Festival
July 21 – Huntingdon, UK @ Secret Garden Party
July 23 – Ireland, UK @ Forest Fest Music & Arts Festival
July 28 – Thirsk, UK @ Deer Shed Festival
September 15 – Brooklyn, NY, USA @ Brooklyn Made
September 17 – Portland, OR, USA @ Mississippi Studios
September 18 – Seattle, WA, USA @ Barboza
September 20 – San Francisco, CA, USA @ Bottom Of The Hill
September 21 – Los Angeles, CA, USA @ Zebulon
October 5 – Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall
October 6 – Birmingham, UK @ Castle & Falcon
October 7 – Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew
October 8 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
October 9 – Dublin, Ireland @ The Grand Social
October 11 – Limerick, Ireland @ Dolans
October 12 – Galway, Ireland @ Roisin Dubh
October 19 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton
Tracklisting:
1. Kick In The Teeth
2. Who Do You Wanna Be?
3. Hot (Don’t Date A Musician)
4. Social Lubrication
5. Mascara
6. Leech
7. I Want You
8. Curious
9. Honestly
10. Orbit
Dream Wife have always been adept at merging the political with the playful, and Social Lubrication is no different. Vital statements are hidden within hot and heavy dancefloor anthems about making out, having fun and staying curious. In the band’s words, the album 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.” There is a sense of fun and openness that is central to Social Lubrication, as well. “There’s a lot of lust in this album and taking the piss out of yourself and everyone you know,” says Rakel. “It’s almost quite juvenile in that way.”
Also at the core of the album sits the live show. “The live show is the truth of the band,” says guitarist Go. “That’s at the heart of what we do and of the statements we’re making.” It’s this energetic, pedal-to-the-metal sound which wound up running through Social Lubrication like a live wire. You can hear it via the loud, dirty riffs and choruses built for dancing together in shared spaces. For Go, who produced the album, it was important to bottle this joyful, frenetic feeling within each song. “We wanted to get that rawness and energy across in a way that hadn’t been done before,” she says. The live show is, most importantly, where the band and fans come together.
In that way, Social Lubrication continues this celebration of community and is a middle finger to the societal barriers enforced to severe 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 Go. “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. That’s what Social Lubrication is: the positive glue that can create solidarity and community.”
“The album is speaking to systemic problems that cannot be glossed over by lube,” says Podpadec. “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.”