London indie-punk trio Dream Nails break out of the cycle of doom with curiosity, exploration and spirituality on their positively-charged third album.
‘Uh-oh,’ wails Mimi Jasson, opening Dream Nails’ third album, ‘The only way out is through.’ After the rage and helplessness that characterised 2023’s second album Doom Loop, this follow-up begins with a repeated affirmation to plough on and claw your way out of the chaos. Over a Chili Peppers-styled intro jam, The Only Way Out Is Through sets the bullish tone for You Wish, a record that largely shelves surface-level anger in search of more organic sources of hope.
A revamped outlook comes naturally for a band whose career has been defined by change. It sees bassist Mimi helm lead vocal duties for the first time, after the respective departures of founding member Janey Starling in 2021 and her replacement Ishmael Kirby, who sang on Doom Loop. Completed by drummer Lucy Katz and guitarist Anya Pearson, Dream Nails’ recalibrated thematic approach and voice on You Wish also lands with a suitable shift in sound.
Delicate, playful post-punk and indie soundscapes are the dominant force here. Move Like An Animal sounds like an overexcited yoga teacher (‘Acceptance. Serenity. Calm. Temperance’), while folky cut A Sign makes for a dreamlike closer, prolonging the album into immortality (‘For us there is no ending’). The Spirit Does Not Burn channels the spirit of Pearl Jam in its gnarly riff, something that the album does lack elsewhere. The melodies in both This Is Water and Pack My Wax, for example, feel undercooked.
As for the aforementioned organic quest for hope, Dream Nails turn to spirituality to examine the state of the world through an alternative lens. ‘Sometimes I’m desperate for magic,’ admits Mimi on The Information, adding that, ‘I believe in the stars but I believe in science,’ on This Is Water. The supernatural vs. the logical is also arguably a battle between nature and technology, creating an intriguing duality in Organoid where Mimi notes the powers that run the world can only do so because they are ‘powered by our water supplies’.
You Wish contains some exciting flashpoints, but it's also missing that prolonged sense of potency to draw you in further. Mirrored by transition in their sound, it feels curious and inquisitive at its core, perhaps laying the foreground for Dream Nails to flesh out these experiments in due course. Nevertheless, you can only applaud them for leaping out of the safety net of Doom Loop into a whole new world.
Verdict: 3/5
For fans of: Panic Shack, Sprints, Wet Leg
You Wish is released on February 6 via Marshall
