Philadelphia-based trio Mannequin Pussy’s latest EP Perfect, is precisely how one might imagine a record to sound if we unleashed the restraints of what that cacophonous turmoil felt like within our day to day lives over the last year.
Ricocheting between unrelenting thrashes and gentle minimalism, vocalist and guitarist Marisa Dabice, drummer Kaleen Reading and bassist Colins Regisford paved their way forward as a new-founded three piece compounded by an intermittent period of isolation from each other.
The aptly titled opening track “Control” recognizes the frailty of maintaining command over much of our lives and what the future holds for us. Dabice sharply maneuvers from a soothing croon to desperate howls of “I’m in control / I know I’m not waiting / that’s what I tell myself.” This is an attempt to convince that inner voice everything will be okay, which ultimately falters considering the weight of the world.
The album’s run time clocks in at just over 13 minutes. It’s a fitting and brief glimpse of our ability to focus and the desire to gain recognition through the likes and shares of others. “Tell me I’m beauty / Tell me I’m fit / Laugh at my face / Spit on my tits,” Dabice frantically and maniacally spews forth, smearing a polished fantasy with the messiness of reality.
Swapping Regisford on vocals for “Pigs is Pigs,” albeit with the same powerful force, markedly bolsters their political anthem garnered from the Black Lives Matter protests and police brutality that swept the nation. “Which is right? / Fear or fight? / It’s your life / It’s all on you, decide” Regisford sings, posing the inevitable and unavoidable choice to cast your eyes aside or find an inner potential for proactive change.
The trio’s closing track “Darling” is a stand out gem in its surprisingly humorous bite and veer from sonic expectations. “Darling, I will always defend you / Darling, when the sun shines, it shines for you” Dabice sweetly sings, then just as swiftly juxtaposes her lyrical caresses with “I’m spinning away, my body’s contagious / How brave of you to walk from my greatness,” giving the cold shoulder towards romanticism and co-dependence.
Mannequin Pussy’s fierce catapult into the pandemic is certainly captured in Perfect, arguably to such an extreme that they fall somewhat short in their aim to thread their intimate experiences into such a brief EP. Yet, their raw lyrical and vocal disclosures are what distinguish them from so many other punk acts.
In terms of soundtracking the emotional turmoil of the pandemic, Perfect’s five tracks stake their claim as quintessential in navigating themes of heartbreak, loss, control and anger.
You can purchase Perfect, released by Epitaph Records here.
Essential Tracks: “Control,” “Pigs is Pigs” and “Darling”