I got Heaven

Kissy mannequin

I got Heaven

Epitaph

February 29, 2024
Web Exclusive

By Caleb Campbell

Throughout their career, strength and vulnerability have been the two poles around which Philly punk outfit Mannequin Pussy has rallied. The power lies in the pounding drums, bass and roaring vocals of Marisa Dabice. Vulnerability lies beneath the roars as airy melodies and emotionally intense lyrics are wrapped around catchy and barbed hooks. It was this combination that made their discovery in 2019, Patience, so rewarding. It was this combination that made the 2021 EP Perfect so expected. And it is once again this marriage of strength and vulnerability that makes their fourth full-length album, I got Heavena sharp thump of a disk.

The first and title tracks find the band fulfilling both sides of their central equation effortlessly. Dabice delivers her vocals with a ferocious growl, her birth making her sound like a tiger on the prowl: raw, powerful and dangerous. Instead, those snarling verses give way to a dreamy chorus, which sees Dabice's vocals float over shimmering bursts of synths. Much of the album plays with similar contrasts, whether fully immersed in corrosive, stormy punk or pulling the band's shimmering undercurrents to the fore. There are moments here like “I Don't Know You” or “Split Me Open” that are some of the most traditional “pop” the band has ever done.

The roots of these changes were present Patience, but the addition of guitarist Maxine Steen, producer John Congleton, and a more collaborative writing process leaves the record with more dreamlike polish. The band's road-tested chemistry works wonders throughout much of the album, with tracks like “Softly” fading into gentle confessionals before the band roars back into life. At the same time, the band rips and tears through many of the songs here, proving they can still deliver punk rager. “OK? OK! OK? OK!” seems tailor-made to open the pit, with Dabice and bassist Collins “Bear” Regisford trading vocals in a feverish rush. Meanwhile, “Of Her” gallops along at a tightly controlled clip, only for “Aching” to run wild, trading any semblance of controlled chaos for wild abandon.

Meanwhile, the album finds Dabice hitting harder than ever as a lyricist. Her songwriting has always been deeply personal, navigating themes of romance, abuse and healing. I got Heaven no different, but Dabice seemingly comes from a more confident and secure position while still retaining plenty of bite and gall. Take the title track and the opener, which touch on themes both sacred and profane. Dabice plays an angel with a devilish grin, claiming holy power and hinting at punishment for liars and evildoers: “I'm vicious as a god / Seek revenge like the rest / For what they did to you / I'll never rest / It's raw and unforgiving / It's total regression / It's wickedness wrapped / And masquerading as a happy ending.” Soon after, he opens “Loud Bark” declaring, “Not even a mama that tried to lock me up / Couldn't get the collar around my neck.”

However, despite the band's loud bark and deep bite, Mannequin Pussy is also the rare punk band that can bring you to tears. Dabice's confidence is often tempered by tenderness, and many tracks on the record find her caught in the trance of love and longing. In “I Don't Know You”, Dabice is on the verge of a new love, seduced by the excitement of truly knowing another person. Instead, the band shadows 'Softly' with worry and uncertainty, with Dabice wondering, “What if one day I don't want it anymore? / What if one day I don't want you anymore? / What if one day I don't love you anymore?'' Love, as he describes it, is overwhelming and all-encompassing, full of joy but equally terrifying. In “Split Me Open” he confesses: “I worry that I want you / With the power / A thousand suns that burn as one / With someone.” At its core, I got Heaven he lives in the wake of pain and heartbreak explored Patiencewith Dabice contemplating new ways of being and loving.

For a band that often operates at the extremes, I got Heaven perhaps it indicates a more stable mood for Mannequin Pussy, offering a synthesis of what has come before and a hint of what comes next. As they've steadily moved towards softer tones and indie aesthetics throughout their career, they've also become an even tighter unit organically. On their latest effort, that chemistry gave the band room to move in new directions. But for every part of it I got Heaven that feels new, what remains is just as powerful. The record finds the band radiating love and rage, at their most powerful and their most vulnerable. (www.mannequinpussy.com)

Author Rating: 8.5/10