by Chris Hatch

In 2014, underground, hardcore punks, Mannequin Pussy, burst on to the scene with 18 minutes of riotous, emotionally-charged punk-rock in the shape of album, Gypsy Pervert. Everything from the band name, to the song titles, to the ramshackle production was attention grabbing. Mannequin Pussy returned in 2016 with Romantic – an album that saw the band a little bit sharper in every aspect: production values increased, Dabice’s songwriting improved, and the band seemed comfortable in expanding their sound.

Since then, they have spent the intervening three years frustratedly waiting. Their move to legendary US-punk label, Epitaph, has not been a smooth one – legal wranglings have meant that an album that was written and ready to go shortly after Romantic has been delayed and delayed… and delayed.

It turns out those years of waiting have done Mannequin Pussy a favour, as the aptly named Patience is without doubt their best release yet. They haven’t merely been sat twiddling their thumbs – they’ve been honing and fine tuning their craft, and, in every sense, the band are just, well… better.

If Romantic saw the band stretching their creative fabric slightly, Patience sees it bursting at the seams. Dabice’s voice has always been a powerful asset, but thanks to prolific producer, Will Yip, it is now pushed to the forefront of the mix and is no longer camouflaged under a deluge of guitars. The fact it takes centre stage gives us chance to see just how wide a range Dabice now has – at one end of the spectrum sounding like Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan at her most impassioned (Drunk II), and at the other end of the spectrum taking on the begrudging optimism of More Adventurous-era Jenny Lewis (Who You Are).

The hallmarks of Mannequin Pussy’s sound are still littered throughout thought. The title track is typical Mannequin Pussy stuff – urgent, heartfelt, and loud. But the last 30 seconds or so give us a glimpse at what’s to come, as Dabice’s fragile voice is laid bare. There are still the sub-60 second sonic assaults (check out the gloriously manic Drunk I), but this is an album where Dabice is as emotionally naked as she’s ever been.

Drunk II is surely one of the singles of the summer- in fact, forget that, it’s one of the singles of the year. A heartbroken, drunken, 3am plea that finds Dabice trying to convince herself that she’s pissed-off at an old flame, but ultimately unable to disguise the fact that she’s still in deep – admitting that ‘I still love you, you stupid fuck’. It’s a situation that most of us have been unlucky enough to be in, and that horrible feeling of unreciprocated love has never been more gut-wrenchingly represented than when Dabice howls, ‘I was getting swept into emptiness, I was taking time, I was practicing living with regret, something you’re so good at’. As her voice soars, it isn’t note-perfect, but it’s one of the most authentic moments you’re likely to hear this year.

If Mannequin Pussy have previously been of punk pedigree, in 2019 they are now a mongrel of different styles –  a cross-breed of emo, college rock, indie, shoegaze, and a wagonload more. The chugging, crushing bittersweetness of Fear/+/Desire sees Dabice trade banshee wails for innocent straight forwardness, while the grand, Americana-indie rock of Who You Are that takes in elements of The Hold Steady, The Menzingers, and Superchunk.

For an album that has seen a band progress so dramatically, album closer In Love Again could not be more fitting. It feels like both the end of one chapter and start of another, as it slowly ebbs back and forth between quiet and loud, fragile and confident, thrashy and poppy. If you could distill everything that Mannequin Pussy are in their present state, then this wouldn’t be far from it, and as Dabice sings, ‘Lets start anew, let’s see it through, I’m so happy laying here with you, I love you’, she sounds at her most content. If this is what three years worth of patience can do for a band, then it’s been more than worth the wait.

Secret Meeting score: 88