Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven

'I Got Heaven' centres on the radical act of caring for others when the world simply doesn't care for you back. Although reality can be disheartening, Mannequin Pussy's feet are firmly set; they won't just survive but thrive. The titular opening track kicks down the door and spits in the face of hypocrisy - specifically confronting followers of modern Christianity who use their religion as a justification to mistreat others. Its unwavering ferocity sets the stakes for the rest of the record; this is a band with something to say.

'OK? OK! OK? OK!' trashes onto the scene with bloodied knuckles and skinned knees, a sound so big it can barely be contained. Bear Regisford and Marisa Dabice neatly split vocal duties here, bouncing between your eardrums at full velocity. It's a high contrast to 'Nothing Like', which nurtures a more melancholy vibe, a darkly dreamy affair reminiscent of swirling 90s alternative.

From sticky floors and sneering faces to bedroom floors and yearning glances, this band has you covered. Continuously alternating between pensive indie and snarling punk sounds may seem jarring on paper, but the track list truly never feels disconnected. Each layered with its own intricacies, producer John Congleton helping to pull together every sound with ease, polishing track after track until the whole album sparkles. Like 'Loud Bark', whose textural tonalities build and build, with the simultaneous pairing of Dabice's gentler and brasher vocals seamlessly mixing to cleverly reflect the inner and outer self.

'I Got Heaven' feels like a living breathing thing. Another stellar release from Mannequin Pussy.