So When You Gonna...

Full of prodigious riffs, intoxicating vocals and a narrative you just can't ignore, So When You Gonna… exemplifies just what happens when talent meets passion.

There are one or two slightly lacklustre moments, such as "Hold On Me", which doesn’t feel like it belongs, but they are far outnumbered and outshined by the groove of songs like "Old Flame" and the smart, questioning lyrics of "Validation". It’s a record that challenges complacency

So When You Gonna... sets Dream Wife up nicely as a radical band their day, actively engaging with the major issues at hand, progressive in their sound and statements, and making the case for re-evaluating how gender is viewed in the music industry and beyond.

Though it's very different from Dream Wife, So When You Gonna… is just as genuine, and the duality in Dream Wife's music only makes them a more interesting, and more relevant, band.

Dream Wife may borrow from the best, but are indefatigably joyfully their own. [Aug 2020, p.113]

With so much honesty packed into the 11 tracks, the album is an invitation and a challenge to go after what you want – without apologising for it.

Dream Wife have tapped into that certain je ne sais quoi that makes for a compelling emotional outlet, even if their energy is slightly dampened on So When You Gonna…. Their vulnerability shows strength and playfulness are the best weapons against malaise on their new record, proving themselves to be a much-needed balm in 2020.

It’s a bold step forward in developing a more sophisticated sound and refusing to retread old ground. However, the lack of Alice Go’s epic power riffs does deprive it of some of the raw power and explosive energy that has made them one of the most thrilling live units in the UK.

Pop-punk trio deliver glittery hooks and raw feminine energy. [Jul 2020, p.87]

The middle run of ‘U Do U’, ‘RH RN’ and ‘Old Flame’ is so mid-paced and lacking in audible spark that it’s as if the record has momentarily dozed off. And for a group who have seemed so overflowing with ideas, so strong in their convictions and so urgently essential, it can’t help but feel a bit disappointing

They careen through a wide range of moods – coquettish, horny, craving approval, irony – with a zeal you rarely hear in other bands. Occasionally those stories can come across as a little juvenile, but where they lack finesse (and, indeed, it’s great to hear a punk band that still sounds like one, the edges unsmoothed), they make up for in ambition.