I Got Heaven - Mannequin Pussy: Review

Review by Lav:

Mannequin Pussy is a Philly punk rock band that has long interested me for their combination of ferocity and sonic versatility. For many it was their 2019 album Patience that served as their breakthrough, but where they really clicked with me was on the 2021 follow-up Perfect EP. Across just a few tracks the band showed off their full range with infectious dreamy space and speedy punk intensity coming back to back on songs throughout. But with the singles for this record, the band seemed to take a different approach, why not combine them?

For the best example look no further than the title track, lead single, and opener I Got Heaven. It's an absolutely ripping opener that I loved last year and it wastes no time kicking the album off with a bang. I love that it hits right away with this literally animalistic ferocity to the lyrics. It's also a great example of how the album can transition seamlessly between its punk angst and a sweeter, dreamier sincerity. I also loved Nothing Like, a shoegaze-tinged cut with much sweeter vocals. While the guitars do still deliver a grittiness,` especially on the wordless parts of the hook, they're much hazier and more impressionistic. I also love how subtle the song is at presenting the feverish devotion it expresses. It sort of creeps along in the implication until the song's finale where it just erupts out of all the contemplation. 

I wasn't QUITE as head over heels for the other two singles. Sometimes takes a bit to get started but once it does WOW is the second half great. I love the way the cowering wails of "sometimes" set-up the song's noisiest point and I appreciate that those walls of noise take so long to dissolve it just grants so much extra texture to the song. If I had to pick a weak link among the singles it would be I Don't Know You. It's one of the catchiest songs on the record and I mean that about every single refrain on the song they've been stuck in my head since last year. But it is one of the loosest songs on the album in terms of impact and on a record that is normally leaving a LOT of strong impressions, it's easy to get lost in the folds.

Among the deep cuts I'm a huge fan of Loud Bark and not just because I know I'll be hearing it on trans puppygirl playlists for years to come. Even as the guitar tones on the song shift into something dreamier and spacier than absolutely anguished screams snarling out "I got a long bark, deep bite" over and over are intoxicating. It's also pretty compelling when the group takes things in a more hardcore-influenced direction. OK? OK! OK? OK! is a highlight and while it isn't the purest embrace of hardcore styles they still sound so great doing it. I love the strange shifts in instrumental pacing and intensity and the blistering pairing of vocals work together perfectly. Later on the record Of Her and Aching add up to about three minutes of blistering intensity. I wouldn't exactly call it technical but it's a peak of fury that I'm not sure I've ever heard the band reach and maintain before. 

Softly is versatile and delivers impressive sonic intensity. I like that it shifts into quieter moments adding a dynamism to the song, though I can't exactly say I think it's a huge songwriting from a sonic standpoint. I also can't say the same for the closing track Split Me Open. It's a sentimental finale to the record with lyrics and vocalizations throughout that feel far sweeter than much of the rest of the album. Unfortunately by comparison it feels artificial rather than the obvious emotions both angry and subdued that emerge across the rest of the record. 

I have my nitpicks with I Got Heaven but that's all they are. Broadly speaking this is the album I always knew Mannequin Pussy had in them. From some of the quieter and more brooding dreaminess they conjure in serious moments to the brash slamming rage they deliver at the album's sonic peaks, the band is leaning into a versatility that none of their contemporaries are capable of. But the band aren't just a sonic force. Even as they cover territory that's familiar for groups of their ilk they do it with an unabashed vulnerability and unique style that can't be faked. I Got Heaven is a triumph for a band that's always felt like they were destined for one. 8/10

For more punk check out my review of Jeff Rosenstick's HELLMODE