Somehow Dream Nails is another band I’ve managed to be late to the party for (as seems to happen to me far too often), because You Wish, their latest release, is actually their third album. I’m just glad I’ve found them now, because I’m not sure how I managed to miss a band who describe themselves as punk witches and say they write “hexes, not songs.” A punky, witchy, riot grrrl-style band? I am so in.
You Wish turned out to be a brilliant introduction, because it’s a proper banger of an album. It’s genuinely hard for me to pick a favourite track, as there are so many I fell in love with on first listen. The record balances bite and brightness in a way that feels very true to the riot grrrl spirit-fierce, playful, political, and just a bit magical around the edges.
“This Is Water” begins with gentle, almost dreamy vocals before gradually building into something punkier and heavier. The musical shift mirrors the contradictions explored in the lyrics: believing in the mystical while still keeping your feet on the ground (something I can really relate to). Lines like “I believe in the stars, but I believe in science / I’m consciously alive, but I’m hypnotised too” perfectly capture that push-and-pull between magic and reality.
“Organoid” is a slick mix of punk and pop in equal measure, with a hook that burrows into your brain. Lyrically, it feels like a commentary on the creeping takeover of technology: “I heard they’re growing little brains with eyes / Mining our lives with their minds / We’re the servants of the server’s lies.” It’s catchy, sharp, and just unsettling enough to make its point land.
“House of Bones” not only has an awesome title, but it’s also a full-on punk rock dance party—one of those tracks that practically demands to be played loud and in motion. Meanwhile, “Move Like an Animal” feels like a party spell, blending spoken word, dance beats, and punk screams into something wild and therapeutic. If these lyrics aren’t witchy, I don’t know what is:
Good energy: vibrating at the source
Bad energy: swirling into a hole
Good energy: letting them come
Bad energy: letting them in
Acceptance – serenity – calm – temperance
Acceptance – serenity – calm – temperance
Acceptance – serenity – calm – temperance
Acceptance – serenity – calm – temperance
What makes You Wish stand out is how effortlessly it moves between moods-sweet and spiky, playful and political, dreamy and feral without ever losing its sense of purpose. There’s humour, anger, vulnerability, and a kind of collective, spell-casting energy running through it all. It’s the kind of album that makes you want to dance, shout, and maybe hex the patriarchy while you’re at it.
For a band that writes “hexes, not songs,” Dream Nails have delivered a record that feels both empowering and joyfully chaotic. You Wish is loud, fun, thoughtful, and gloriously witchy—exactly the kind of punk magic the world could use a bit more of.
Dream Nails Socials: Instagram/Facebook
Review by Hayley Foster da Silva
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