Dream Wife started life as a collaborative art project between Rakel Mjöll, Bella Popadec and Alice Go whilst the three of them were studying at Brighton University.
Shortly after, they moved to London to mould Dream Wife into a fully-fledged band and now, four years later, are gigging around the world and getting quite a name for themselves for their blistering live, hard-edged, punky performances.
Last week they released, ‘Hasta La Vista’, the new single from their forthcoming second album, ‘So When You Gonna…’ and we got the chance to talk to them…
So what specifically drew the three of you together in the first place to form the original Dream Wife project?
When we formed this band we were all living in Brighton studying art. There was a mutual feeling of questioning the status quo of the institution we were studying in. There was a kind of punk attitude we all shared in doing things our way and on our terms. Having all been involved in music prior to studying art this band felt like an extension of our creative practices. The initial formation of this band was part of Rakel’s performance project and it was too much fun to stop.
And will the art project part of Dream Wife make a come back in some form or other in the near future?
For us it is still an art project. We are very hands on with this band and are lucky to be signed to a label that really supports our vision as artists as well as purely musicians. Earlier this year we directed the video to our song ‘Sports’ and Rakel edited old family footage to create the visual for our recent single Hasta La Vista… Basically art school never ended.
How do you tackle song creation within the band, who brings what to the table?
Often we will send ideas over to one another through phone recordings then take these ideas through into the live space where we can all be present with the song and feel it through together. There is a magic in the collision of energies and ideas that happen when we are playing together in the same space, holding that conversation musically with one another. Songs can feel like they have their own lives, and take on their own forms organically through jamming things through together.
In terms of the international gigs you’ve done so far, what have been the highs and lows?
A major highlight for us so far was that we got to play Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. It took place in Tokyo and also Osaka. We had always wanted to visit Japan and it was totally a dream come true, we even went to a Japanese baseball game!
No show is ever low, we always give every gig our all, each show is an opportunity to learn and fine-tune our performance, plus it’s obviously really fun to rock out together and we are always grateful for that. There is always a sense of joy when we play our songs together.
How are you managing your creativity during this current isolation period…?
I think the first and most important thing is to remove any pressure to create or do anything. Capitalism would have us believe that our inherent worth is tied to our productivity and creative work can be wrapped up in this. I’ve been trying to prioritise slowness, sensual experiences and pleasure. Setting up your space in a way that you can fall into creating whenever you feel called but remains dormant most of the time can be a good way. Dancing is always a good one for moving around energy. Focus on the process rather than an outcome.
…And what are you looking forward to the most when it finishes?
Being present with fans and friends, sharing at the moment, rocking out and locking in, together.
Now your latest video, ‘Hasta La Vista’ is quite a sweet departure from the norm. How did you come to choose that footage to accompany the song?
Rakel spent the early stages of isolation watching old home videos, the pause felt like a good time to look back. Despite Bellas Dad being a camera person, this is the only footage she has ever seen of herself as a child. It felt very sweet and funny to put us all side by side in memory, time is bizarre.
Do you have any surprises for us on the new album?
Ebow!!!!
Finally, what can we expect to see from Dream Wife when you get back out on the road to play the new material?
A lot of sweat, a lot of dancing, a big high energy good time
So When You Gonna…” will be released on the 3rd July by Lucky Number Music.
John Stone.
