Wet Dreams – Wet Dreams
Wet Dreams – Wet Dreams (Black Pop Records)
Review By Paul Lockett
The debut from Wet Dreams is an assured record which kicks off with all the angst of a Buzzcocks LP. There’s an enormous amount of energy in their music and this band is very clearly having a riot recording it. ‘Boogie’ is the sound of the scout hut disco where, instead of Depeche Mode blaring through the P.A., something altogether more sinister, distorted & exciting blasts across the room. It’s like a ‘WTF’ moment on this record. ‘Her’ sees the band cross over into Hawkwind ‘Silver Machine’ territory, as reimagined by The Ramones. In fact, it’s the way that punk is brought up-to-date whilst retaining its anger and passion that makes this record such an enticing listen.
There are nods to new wave and punk peppered throughout the record. ‘Radioactivity’ could be the bastard child of ‘Ever Fallen In Love’. In fact, there’s precious little here to allow the stage divers in the moshpit an excuse to take even a five-minute break – ‘Roliglata’ excepted, with its early Joe Jackson pop sensibilities.
Wet Dreams could easily be a band whose clocks stopped back in 1978. And why not? Where contemporaries include artists such as Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran, why not instead take your cues from the punk icons of the 70’s, throw in a generous dose of 2019 attitude and turn on the blender.
‘Bad Boy’ is the sound of a band raised on Nirvana, The Revillos and possibly cortisone. Oh, and a garage full of beer.
‘I Told You / Drugs’ is a sweat-induced coma of a song. Its urgency and sheer “pin you to the wall” delivery makes for a mad (and LOUD!) grand finale. If you’re planning on seeing them live, take earplugs just in case…
‘Wet Dreams’ is out now on LP, cassette and download.