Dum Dum Girls: Only In Dreams

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  18 Nov 2011 in Review

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Dum Dum Girls is one vintage venerating band that could easily be dismissed as just that, yet another retro reverent band. But that would be reductive criticism. Informed by France’s yé-yé (a contemporary example would be April March of ‘Chick Habit’ fame), they’ve certainly gotten enough criticism of that from their debut. Sophomore album Only in Dreams is more of the same sound-wise, but that’s an unfair slight when the music they make this time around is both genre-regressive and progressive.

Influenced by 60s girl group rock as much as by real life tragedies – the death of frontwoman Dee Dee’s mother – and issues – her spousal separation – the album feels real emotionally. There’s no artifice here, after all they can’t wink knowingly anymore with songs like ‘Coming Down’, which is as heartfelt as it gets for the band.

Lyrically Dee Dee is as bad as Bethany Cosentino (of Best Coast) in the simplicity and repetition of her rhymes, but just as Beth’s charm trumps her bad lyrics, Dee Dee’s emotions do the same. The higher-fi production of the album does reveal weaknesses the band have always had – basic riffs, limited drum patterns and what not. But hey, leave the technical BS to metal, some bands just need to sound pleasant.

LISTEN TO: ‘Coming Down’, ‘Just A Creep’, ‘Teardrops on My Pillow’
IF YOU LIKE THIS YOU’LL DIG: Best Coast, April March, Vivian Girls
RATING: 3

Dumb girls at wearedumdumgirls.com.