I have been extremely excited about this album for the longest time, staying up till midnight for each single to drop, which was utterly worth it. I have been listening to this band for a few years, and they are easily one of my favorites. Mannequin Pussy is a band that started sometime in 2013 originating in Philadelphia, with Colins “Bear” Regisford on the bass and vocals, Kaleen Reading on the drums, Maxine Steen on the guitar, and finally, Marisa Dabice, who plays guitar and provides vocals as well. This new album shows how much they have grown and will continue to grow and evolve their sound, especially since their first album Gypsy Pervert. They continue to adventure on, developing a wild and rambunctious sound, while still managing to be tongue-in-cheek and sweet, carrying that attitude they’ve been known for.
Their newest album, I Got Heaven came out on March 1st and was preceded by 4 singles. Those being: "I Got Heaven", "I Don't Know You," "Sometimes," and "Nothing Like." This album is a blend of sugary power pop, like "I Don't Know You" which has this glorious sweetness, but still has that wonderful edge and angst that define this band's sound. There is this alluring, almost creepy, ghostly, and overall otherworldly feel to it. The tempo is a lot slower than other tracks, bringing a change of pace to the entire album. The fuzzy-sounding guitars with the distant echoing vocals give it an almost siren-like quality, making it utterly alluring and leaving the listener desperately wanting more. “I know a lot of things But I don't know you,” Dabice recounts the inspiration behind the song, coming from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where Buffy has to kill her lover, Angel, before he destroys the world. She describes how “Young Love is often all-consuming, dangerous, and heightened to mythological proportions. 'Nothing Like' sought to mix the balance of both the light feelings of new love and the depths obsession can bring you too.” All of these are themes that are prevalent throughout the album: themes of love, obsession, vulnerability, and insecurity.
This album has some truly wonderful variety, to where it can ramp up the intensity to something more hardcore, like in "OK? OK! OK? OK!" This track was dripping with anger, a song that demands respect, and honestly, the track that stood out the most to me. This album brings a hardcore punk rock flair reminiscent of some of their older work. The screaming vocals and the intensity of the guitars make it hard to ignore, it demands to be heard. For me, it is a personal favorite of this track. "It's time to shut your mouth // And now you bend the knee // You're gonna have to beg, and heel, and learn.” It's a cathartic kind of anger, just absolutely exploding with raw emotion. It's honestly maybe only rivaled by some of the downright guttural screams on the outro of "Softly," which gives a vulnerable depiction of insecurity and relationships, an almost desperation and a fear of isolation in some ways that hit home, “??And you plead and you say // But I got what you need in me // I got what you yearn for desperately.” This track swings from sickeningly sweet and fuzzy distant guitars to something that steps up to the plate and showcases that wide array of emotion.
Overall, I loved this album to pieces. I already have a gut feeling this is going to be one of my favorite albums of the year, and honestly, maybe even some of my favorite work from them in general, which as someone who has been following them for years shows how great this album is.
