The Fat Angel Sings

Mannequin Pussy’s music feels like a resilient and galvanizing shout that demands to be heard. Across four albums, the Philadelphia rock band that consists of Colins “Bear” Regisford (bass, vocals), Kaleen Reading (drums, percussion), Maxine Steen (guitar, synths), and Marisa Dabice (guitar, vocals) has made cathartic tunes about despairing times.

“There’s just so much constantly going on that feels intentionally evil that trying to make something beautiful feels like a radical act,” says Dabice. “The ethos of this band has always been to bring people together.”

Their latest album, “I Got Heaven“, is the band’s most fully realized recording yet. Over ten ambitious tracks which abruptly turn from searing punk to inviting alternative pop, the album is deeply concerned with desire, the power in being alone, and how to live in an unfeeling and unkind world. It’s a document of a band doubling down on their unshakable bond to make something furious, thrilling, and wholly alive.

When Missy Dabice sings, the words course through her entire body. Just as quickly as she screams about the cyclical nature of lust, she whispers her heartbreak and longing. Mannequin Pussy lives between those two spaces: the raw ferocity of feminine rage and the quiet moments of hopeless vulnerability. “I want to be a danger,” she sighs. “I want to be adored.”

When an artist comes to the Tiny Desk, they often seize upon the opportunity to reimagine their music. Here, a string quartet helps to crack these songs wide open, swelling with urgency and overflowing with emotion. “I Don’t Know You” and “Split Me Open,” in particular, soar with lush string arrangements, yet don’t stray from the songs’ uninhibited and deeply relatable appetite to be desired.

If, like me, Mannequin Pussy’s Romantic found a way into your tender heart 10 years ago; thankfully, the band commemorates the anniversary by performing the title track with nostalgic appreciation. But the highlight of the show, just before “Loud Bark,” lies in Dabice’s deep acknowledgement of how it feels to be human right now: the pain, the grief and the sadness that swirls inside of us.

“Your rage is a part of you and you have to honour it. Give it the space to breathe,” says Dabice, before she leads the audience in a primal, cathartic scream.

SET LIST
“I Don’t Know You”
“Split Me Open”
“Loud Bark”
“Romantic”

MUSICIANS
Missy Dabice: vocals, guitar
Maxine Steen: guitar, keys
Colins “Bear” Regisford: bass
Kaleen Reading: drums
Shaan Ramaprasad: violin, music director, string arrangements
Ashley Parham: violin
Kyung Leblanc: viola
Juliano Bitonti: cello