Mannequin Pussy I Got Heaven

Even at their most trenchant, Mannequin Pussy strives to be at ease with themselves. But life, in all its messiness, has different plans for them, thrusting the Philadelphia punk rock band to let out the rage that boils inside them. The title of their fourth album implies a spirit of thankfulness despite the external forces that come their way, coming from a band who's creating their own personal heaven after they've advocated for love and patience in their last two releases.

Their resolute determination also carries into their music on I Got Heaven, resulting in their most accomplished statement thus far. Expanding far beyond their hardcore roots, Mannequin Pussy delivers shimmering alternative rock with more precision and less abandon. It's as if they've been holding back on us when considering the slick, punchy hooks of Sometimes and Nothing Like, on which lead singer Marisa Dabice explores the potential consequences of feeling uncontrolled infatuation. It's the closest they've been to writing guttural anthemic rock, tempered with a touch of melodrama that should be familiar to anyone who knows Hole's Live Through This word for word. Whereas I Don't Know is a downright ballad and a beautiful one at that, beginning with a bossa nova-tinged shuffle before it builds into a powerful conclusion.

Even during its most intense moments, the songs on I Got Heaven quiver within washes of gentle noise, expanding upon what they had previewed on their Perfect EP. Woven into the album's back half are three hardcore tracks, which see the band honoring their past sensibilities and improving upon them despite being at the risk of going astray. While that might be seen as a benefit or a drawback, it does remain faithful to Dabice's vulnerable contradictions, demonstrating her and her bandmates' openness to meet change as it comes to them.