On YOU WISH, the London trio Dream Nails mixes queer-feminist punk with clear 90s leanings and confidently transports this mix into the 2020s thanks to crisp hooks and lots of oomph. Their third album opens with “The Only Way Out Is Through” with eighth-note guitar and rolling bass – and after just a minute: a solo!
This, like the strong follow-up track “This Is Water”, is reminiscent of a great mix of Breeders and Sleater-Kinney. You also come across other well-known names from the 90s such as Soundgarden or Alice in Chains, although some songs become very repetitive. The band cannot maintain the energy that flashes at the beginning. Because Dream Nails sound most convincing when they just rumble and let go.
The poppier numbers like “Zero” or “Sign” are pleasant, but fade away relatively quickly. Nevertheless, almost every song has a little aha moment – be it an unexpected guitar solo (like in the opener), an angry scream (“SHUT UP!”) or a timelessly beautiful bass line. YOU WISH is for people who used to shuffle into the indie disco with tattered clothes and boots that were too big. An album that awakens nostalgia and yet is firmly anchored in the now.
This review appears in Musikexpress 2/2026.
