Albums
Emotional High
2016
Release Date: 2016
By Pitchfork
Reviewed September 6, 2016
Off the Philadelphia band’s upcoming LP, Romantic
Real love tends to be as indescribable as it is undeniable. On “Emotional High,” Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy nail this sensation via fist-pumped, punk-pop fervor and raging DayGlo guitars. Sung, shouted, or rendered in an angelic falsetto, singer/guitarist Marisa Dabice’s exclamations power the tune’s storming, yanked-ripcord kineticism. Her vocals confer an aching vigor, a self-analysis: “When was the last time I spoke to my best friend?” Yet it’s the non-lyrics here—those ecstatic “yeah, yeahs,” those interstitial chants surging just beyond what’s discernible—that truly sell “High” as a full-on sugar rush, a post-grunge anthem that cuts out almost too suddenly, leaving us wanting more.