The new album by Dum Dum Girls, Too True, is slick, glamorous, and lush, filled with reverberant magic spaces. More glaze than daze.
Dum Dum Girls evoke a few things at the same time: I hear Phil Spector, the Ronnettes, 70's punk, and some 80's Indie Pop. Dee Dee prefers the Stones from the Brian Jones era, which I am totally sympathetic with. I love how Kristin Welchez decided to become a character, which she would call Dee Dee Penny, who plays in an imaginary band called Dum Dum Girls, before she even had a band. Anyone who's followed Dum Dum Girls from the beginning is aware of Dee Dee's development from bedroom 4-tracker, to signing to Sub Pop, to fronting a full touring band, to performing on major network TV (Letterman). You've no doubt loved the dichotomous nature of her work: innocent/gritty, sunny/dark, tuneful/noisy, retro/au courant. Too True is a major leap forwards, which might not please her oldest fans, but I appreciate her desire to create something as rich and sophisticated as she did with this album.
Here's a good example of Dum Dum Girls' love of opposing points of view, from the 2010 debut album, I Will Be. They dance (kind of) on a summery, psychedelic beach. The video is full of overexposed, pretty pastel colors; but they are dressed as if for a funereal, in black leather and lace:
Here is the title track from the new album. It's so swoony and alluring (both the video and the song); almost sounding like Cocteau Twins meets The Cure, mixed with some late period Siouxie and the Banshees thrown in for extra enchantment, and there's nothing wrong with that.
