INTERVIEW W/ Dream Nails: "You must remember you are able to stand up and speak out!"

London’s rebellious trio, Dream Nails, have been at the forefront of feminist and queer punk, igniting a new wave of music and storming over those who doubt them. Having shifted their sound into a slightly more considered and nuanced direction for their upcoming debut record (OUT ON MARSHALL RECORDS 6 FEB 2026), we can't wait to see what it has in store.

This new album, ‘You Wish’ is an exploration of an undiscovered dark cave, full of insight and emotion and like always, concerned with the politics of today.  We spoke with Mimi, the band’s bassist and vocalist, about the album, their fears of technology, what it means to be punk and a woman in today’s music scene. 

Photo Credit: Marieke Macklon

Q. How have you find creating your latest releases? Compared to your other tracks, the release seems more laid back but still carrying a lot of political weight.

M. “It’s good to have heard different reactions and opinions from other people. We formed this new trio recently and have been working on this album since 2023, we’re so excited to have it released finally. It’s been a long project for us and this album is definitely a lot weirder so to speak. It’s an album of reflection and deep thought, we put a lot of emotion and depth into the album.”

Q. Do you feel that your message is better put across in this genre? What inspired this change in style?

M. “I think we will always have something political to say in our songs but the change in style is partly because we were all collaboratively working together. We had a stream of consciousness going throughout the whole process and we all had a part in creating the songs featuring on the album.”

Q. What are your favourites off of your upcoming album You Wish?

M. “Probably 'Organoid' or 'This Is Water'.”

Q. What would you say are the biggest underlying themes on the album? 

M. “I would say we are very interested in the natural world and there is a lot to do with animals and nature within this release. Then I guess this is contrasted by some of our tracks such as ‘Organoid’ being about technology and the fast advancement of it. There’s some contrasting themes in there but I would say that it is an observation on today’s world, the fear of generative artificial intelligence and the effect it will have on the music industry and society.”

Q. ‘Organoid’ it was described as a ‘paranoid punk explosion, an expression of tech anxiety’. What does it mean to you to stay human and sticking to your roots of punk look like for you in a world saturated with AI and social media?

M. “I would say being human means having empathy. I think it’s important to be able to relate with people and being sympathetic, having a heart for others. In times like these, the only way it seems is to have emotion; to be emotional and feel things and expressing this.” 

Q. For you, what does the water in ‘This Is Water’ represent? Is it society, personal trauma or something else? 

M. “I think it represents society in a way but more that the merging of societies and different groups of people is important. The water, to me, is being part of a collective group of humans and that we are all just trying to swim in this world, keeping ourselves afloat.” 

Q. Do you have any advice for women trying to break into the music industry but facing prejudice and difficulties? 

M. “I would say that you must remember you are able to stand up and speak out. I think it can be so hard in the music industry with being looked down upon or demeaned just because you are a woman. You should be able to disagree and be opinionated. We’ve always faced challenges. It’s been an issue for me too; of not feeling like you are good enough or worthy enough which sucks, but you shouldn’t listen to those people and to keep going forward.”

Q. Your music blends humour, rage, rebellion, joy and resilience with political lyrics. When writing, would you say that emotional impulse comes first or is the political message at the forefront?

M. “I think previous albums it would have been that the political message came first. But with our recent album, due to us having a collaborative free writing style, it was more emotionally driven. There was a lot that we wanted to say about how we felt.”

Q. Do you have any particular artists or movements that you are hopeful about?

M. “A band favourite of ours is Nova Twins. We went on tour with them a few years ago and it’s amazing to see how much they have grown since then. They are massive now and it is a pleasure to have experienced their growth.”

Q. How do you find managing to speak out around the current harmful systems while balancing this to create a safe and happy environment for your fans?

M. “I don’t find that it is an issue for us. Our fans have always been politically aligned with our values, and we always make a safe space for our fans. We often say ‘women, trans and gays to the front’ as we feel like those spaces are usually taken up by men and it’s nice to have a change. We will not play if we think there is someone in the crowd causing an issue until they are dealt with.”

Q. What have been your favourite venues to perform in so far? 

M. “We played in France a couple of years ago in a venue called ‘Le Bateau Ivre.’ The place was completely packed, and it was wonderful to have people around us who were really passionate about music too. I think it’s important to keep places like that going. In London there has been a lot of smaller grassroots venues closing down that we played at when we were a newer band. It’s sad to see places where we first started shutting down, it seems so difficult for newer bands to be able to find smaller and free venues to play at now.”

Q. Dream Nails has always been authentically punk, queer and feminist. Would you say your definition of ‘punk’ has changed over the years?

M. “My definition of punk hasn’t changed much but I think we have always felt as a band that being punk to us is caring and that it is a mindset rather than a style. Punk might seem to be about not putting in an effort or caring but to us it is important to care and feel. We’ve always kept the DIY aspect of punk. We are self-managed and we plan our own tours always.”

Q. Can you give us 3 words to describe your upcoming album?

M. “Moody, inquisitive and new-age (not right wing though!)”