Joining us in the studio for this Indie Rock Hit Parade live session is a lively UK group with art school credentials. Dream Wife began as the invented subjects of a This is Spinal Tap-inspired mockumentary devised while singer Rakel Mjöll, bassist Bella Podpadec, and guitarist/producer Alice Go were students at Brighton University. As the fake band became more and more real, the trio were joined by drummer Alex Paveley to complete their lineup. From their 2018 self-titled debut, Dream Wife have been IRHP favorites, and the band has shared stages with the likes of Garbage, The Kills, Sunflower Bean, and others. This summer, Dream Wife released their third album, Social Lubrication, and they stopped by our studios during a short trip to the States in September.
The session begins with one of the band’s first ever live performances of “Love You More.” Written and recorded during the Social Lubrication sessions, the song was left off the final track list, only to be released as a standalone just two days before the band’s visit. Go’s slithering guitar lines and Mjöll’s intense energy make the song an instant signature number. The tempo is cranked up for the next three selections; the album’s thunderous single “Who Do You Wanna Be?” and the danceable “Orbit” feature locked-in grooves between Podpadec and Paveley. The set closes with the album’s title track, which not only showcases the core trio’s vocal acrobatics but a thrilling home stretch where the whole band jumps the rails for a rapidly accelerating finale.
Watch Dream Wife’s Indie Rock Hit Parade session below, stream the audio, and check out some of Paige Walter’s photos from the studio.