There's the notion of being crushed by desire, of being overwhelmed by one's own passion. What if you could turn that emotion outward, like a superpower? That's the palpable feeling running through 2024's
I Got Heaven
, the blisteringly romantic and forceful fourth album from the Philly indie punk outfit
Mannequin Pussy
. Led by singer/guitarist
Marisa Dabice
,
have transformed from a wiry drum and guitar duo in 2010 to a trio, and finally, to the fiery quartet who made 2019's
Patience
. With each album, the group has only gotten better, and
feels like a pinnacle of that artistic growth. Produced in Los Angeles with
John Congleton
(known for his Grammy-winning work with
St. Vincent
),
is the first album not to feature co-founding guitarist/keyboardist
Thanasi Paul
, who amicably left the band in 2021. In the wake of his departure, they added guitarist/keyboardist
Maxine Steen
, whose searing riffs and sparkling, fuzz-toned chords add yet another memorable layer to the band's already hooky songs. Also on board are longtime members bassist/singer
Colins "Bear" Regisford
and drummer
Kaleen Reading
. Together they recall the buzzy, soft-loud '90s alt-rock style of bands like
Pixies
Sonic Youth
, and
Hole
while retaining all of their own distinctive punk charisma. Much of that charisma emanates from the X-Men mutant-level force of nature that is
Dabice
, who moves from sensual rock crooner to defiant punk goddess with ease, often within the same song. She has a swaggering, confident style underpinned by an empowered feminist energy. It's also rife with bold contradictions, as in the hooky title track where
rejects the puritanical control of Christianity, just as she celebrates her innate spiritual power, proclaiming "I got heaven inside me...I'm an angel." It's a dualistic notion, one that she underlines on the caustic, riot girrrl-esque anthem "Loud Bark," singing "Not a single motherf**ker who has tried to lock me up/Could get the collar round my neck/Or find one that's big enough/I'm a waste of a woman/But I taste like success." Certainly, punk indignation drives much of the album and there are several kinetic hardcore moments on
, but it isn't all fire and vitriol. On the contrary, there's a romantic, lyrical warmth to the album and cuts like "Nothing Like" and "I Don't Know You" find
cradled in shimmering cascades of guitar and keyboard as she perfectly encapsulates the feeling of romantically crushing on someone just out of reach. On the album closer "Split Me Open," she sings "I'm worried I want you/With the power/Of a thousand suns burning as one." While
and
might be worried that their destructive Dark Phoenix energy is too much to take,
is an album of apocalyptic rock & roll bliss. ~ Matt Collar