Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven

Review Score:

A-

March 1 / 2024

Mannequin Pussy, which I can’t wait to recommend this to the 60 year old coworker who asks me what I’m listening to on my earbuds, displays a very impressive range on I Got Heaven. It’s angry, it’s gentle. It’s big and it’s small. It’s absurd and it’s quaint. At times, the lyricism is crass and grading, as are the lead vocals. But others, they’re tranquil and restrained and beautiful. The album keeps the listener guessing at every moment, and in this case it works to the album’s benefit.

“Loud Bark” is one of such songs. It begins with an unassuming, steady rhythm between the guitar line and the percussion. But never underestimate Mannequin Pussy. They quickly break into one of the more intense and loud tracks on the album, which repeats the aggressive refrain of “I’ve got a loud bark, a deep bite”.

“Nothing Like”, the following track, is more akin to the tone I expected from this album given the sole single I’d heard (“I Don’t Know You”). Both of these tracks have a slightly laid back indie rock sound. But with clever instrumentation and a consistent atmosphere, they feel right at home among the harsher and more intense songs on the album.

The band lives up to the sound its name would suggest on this latest album, just as some of the quieter tracks live up to the album title. Several cuts are harsh, several cuts are heavenly. It’s a blend of sounds that seems difficult to pull off, but Mannequin Pussy sticks the landing.

Review Score:

A-

Gubb wrote this review. You can’t get mad at Gubb.