Album Review: MisterWives – Connect The Dots
2 min read
Connect The Dots is the sophomore album of New York natives, MisterWives. Since the release of their debut album, Our Own House (2015), they garnered the attention of some pretty well established acts; Panic! At The Disco!, Bleachers, Walk The Moon and Twenty One Pilots; having the opportunity to share a stage with them. They were in good hands having Butch Walker serving as producer on their latest release. His experience working with musicians like Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, Pink!, Carly Rae Jepsen, Weezer and The Wombats definitely brought the quintessential pop rock sound to life. When solid song writing meets great production, magic happens.
Machine, the lead single of the album, makes a great first impression and is a good example of the direction MisterWives take on Connect The Dots. The rhythmic interweaving of the percussively treated instruments in the verse, followed by the rich melody and soulful pre-chorus, and then the anthemic hook are a win. It is clear that they are comfortable playing live in front of a crowd and write their music for full audience engagement. It’s best you put on your leg warmers and neon gear as you do the ‘Roger Rabbit’ and then ‘Molly Ringwald’ the hell out of the 80’s inspired Chasing This. Only Human offers a change of pace and is my favorite song on the album. MisterWives show their softer and more intimate side in the heart-warming track My Brother. Including a more delicate and emotive song like this demonstrates their creative capacity and maturity as musicians. They don’t shy away from flexing their gritty rock muscles either as in Oh Love.
Connect The Dots is the most vibrant album I have heard in a while. MisterWives are skilled songwriters in the breadth of musical ideas they can thread together into playful textures. The album is a fun, feel good, dance, pop, sing-a-long, sensation (in a few words) but there is also skilled musicianship working well for those with a habit of analyzing all music that enters their ears. MisterWives create new age rock ’n roll that captures a sense of infectious youthful buoyancy; when you listen to their music your worries seem to fade away.
