Filled with emotional passion that never flickers, Mannequin Pussy’s newest project embraces an intense share of emotions that are conveyed greatly throughout the melodies and performances. True to its name, ‘I Got Heaven’ reaches a striking high where the vocal and compositional fervor provides impact with its emotive devotions.
Every subsequent project from Mannequin Pussy adds more dimensions to their expressive punk flair. Since their debut album a decade ago, each passing project that this Philadelphia-based band keeps releasing only improves upon their short, blistering array of punk rock and power pop with the melodies, writing, and production that keep expanding into dynamic and layered tapestries. That sense of dynamic flair manifests once more in ‘I Got Heaven’, bringing that focused formula to drive further in higher fields.
The half-hour runtime of this project offers impassioned barking flair coming on the melodies and performances that have gotten the most refinement, with John Congleton’s handle on the production allowing the grooves to spark and Marisa Dabice’s vocals to just tremble and pacify. With this in mind, it results in a lot of the songs punch through with biting quality, like the assured shouts that soften down magnificently across the sharp percussive and guitar sweeps on ‘I Got Heaven’, the shuffling beat on ‘Nothing Like’ that effectively carry the track’s desperate yearning tone, the lilting atmosphere from the synths and cooing vocal backdrops that gets contrasted with these rumbling guitar distortions on ‘I Don’t Know You’, the dynamic swings of ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Softly’ where the melodic buildups from the drums, vocals, and guitars just soar to the very end, and the brighter melodic churn from the guitars on ‘Split Me Open’ that allows the sense of emotional devotion to engulf in flames. There are also other tracks where the focus on straightforward hardcore punk carries the same tense stomping characteristics, yet their brief runtimes paired with rigid composition aspects leave them less special within the album.
That emotional charge heard through the general compositions seeps through as well in the writing of the project, where the sense of passionate devotion to the need for romantic sparks just bursts aflame across the record as the protagonist is willing to give their entire being to the person that they’re really in love with. Yet that sense of romanticism that the protagonist deeply cherishes leads to some friction, specifically with the protagonist second-guessing once they’re in that relationship, with questions about the initial romantic spark disintegrating and choosing between their own life or giving it all away for the person that they yearn for. While the lack of distinctive flair within this charged arc makes it a bit less gripping, it doesn’t matter that much as the direct details imbue the desire with a selfless emotional passion. Willing to give one’s entire self to the person they wish to be with, even despite the questions they may have once that romance starts to bloom.
An overall embrace of fervor that translates to Mannequin Pussy’s most engaging project to date, ‘I Got Heaven’ through its brief runtime carries its entire heart and soul to the stream of powerful compositions and performances. A synthesis of striking factors that lets the sense of romantic devotion ignite through and through, never faltering despite the sense of internal tensions provided through that internal questioning. Clinging onto that impassioned yearning might carry its shambling risks, yet it’s not going to stop those filled with intense zeal from obtaining that heavenly lovestruck spark that will glow to wide spaces.
Favorite Tracks: ‘I Got Heaven’, ‘Nothing Like’, ‘I Don’t Know You’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘Softly’, ‘Split Me Open’
Least Favorite Track: ‘Of Her’