Mannequin PussyI Got Heaven

Philly icons Mannequin Pussy have always known how to make you feel a little less alone in this sick, sad world of ours, and their brand new album I Got Heaven is a blissful blitz of ferocity and balanced composure.

MORE: COAL CHAMBER: No More Dark Days // NECK DEEP: Rating: 8 Middle Fingers REVIEWS: GREEN DAY: Saviors // CASEY: How To Disappear // NECK DEEP: Neck Deep // BLOOM: Maybe In Another Life // BANKS ARCADE: DEATH 2

Working alongside legendary producer John Congleton to bring album #4 to life, Mannequin Pussy manage to level up their already expansive creative reach into dazzling new heights, scraping the outer rims of punk, pop, shoegaze and beyond across I Got Heaven’s 10 tracks.

Opening with a wavering guitar line before snarling to life, I Got Heaven erupts with its title track, dripping with angelic wooze and swaggering snarl as vocalist Marisa Dabice introduces the central thematic core of I Got Heaven; impermanence, and the fact that we all have real-life heaven in our grasp but are continually destroying it, whether through religion, greed and/or judgement. 

In command of a firm yet oscillating sonic palette, Mannequin Pussy flit between creamy rock (Loud Bark), 90s incantations (Nothing Like), indie swoon (I Don’t Know You), and affable grit (Sometimes). But, being a Mannequin Pussy affair, there is of course plenty of spitfire ready to enter the chat, with the off-kilter brilliance of OK? OK! OK? OK! which brings bassist Colins “Bear” Regisford in to share lead vocals with Dabice. A deliciously madcap track that feels like Mr Bungle colliding with Pixies, OK? OK! OK? OK! is a brazen standout, powerfully leading into some Smashing Pumpkins-hued beauty via Tell Me Softly.

An album that will appease anyone with a pulse, but particularly those who are tired of comfort zones and the crumbling state of the world, I Got Heaven is a genuine gift from a band entirely capable of capturing the entire gamut of human emotion and setting it to searing and scintillating soundscapes.

With more fire courtesy of the pummeling Of Her, Dabice absolutely sends it vocally while powerfully busting out a message of seizing the day and understanding sacrifices that have led to your own existence today. And the fire blazes well and truly into penultimate track Aching, another rollicking barrel of angst and razor-sharp instrumentals, while closing track Split Me Open unfurls with a more intimate vocal display from Dabice and closes proceedings out on a sweet yet simmering note.

An album that will appease anyone with a pulse, but particularly those who are tired of comfort zones and the crumbling state of the world, I Got Heaven is a genuine gift from a band entirely capable of capturing the entire gamut of human emotion and setting it to searing and scintillating soundscapes. Whether you’re a new or earlier convert to Mannequin Pussy, I Got Heaven is a perfect example of how to nod to the past without leaning into imitation, and there’s few who can do it as deftly as Mannequin Pussy.

STANDOUT TRACKS: I Got Heaven, Nothing Like, OK? OK! OK? OK!
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Honeyblood, Pixies, Slutever

I Got Heaven is out Friday 1 March via Epitaph Records.