Dum Dum Girls may have started as the confessional-as-bedroom project of Dee Dee Penny in 2008, but they’ve blossomed into one of the most consistent bands of the last decade, churning out more lovesick singalongs than anyone else in the game.
Even down to their name, a twist on The Vaselines’ album Dum Dum and Iggy Pop tune “Dum Dum Boys,” Dum Dum Girls masterfully blend the past and the present. Over six EPs and three LPs, the Girls have explored the sounds of garage rock and big-rock balladry and infused them with synthesizers and textured guitars. And as a result, each Dum Dum Girls song sounds strikingly familiar and new.
Luckily for us, the Girls have been on the road promoting their latest record, Too True, and they’ll be stopping by High Noon Saloon on Thursday night. Here are five tracks that’ll get you ready for their set and will have your toes tapping all day long:
“Rest of Our Lives”
“Rest of Our Lives” is arguably Dum Dum Girls’ best ballad, and they have built their entire career around their ballads. Though the audio quality of their first record, I Will Be, keeps the straightforward and stripped down “Rest of Our Lives” from being as potent as it could be, it’s always a sure-fire showstopper live.
“There is a Light That Never Goes Out”
The Girls’ He Gets Me High EP came out just a year after they dropped their debut, but it signals a decade’s worth of development. The EP closes with a cover of the Smiths’ “There is a Light That Never Goes Out,” and Dee Dee sings every syllable of the song as if she’s lived it—as if Morrissey penned the lyrics with her in mind.
“Bedroom Eyes”
“Bedroom Eyes” is my favorite Dum Dum Girls song off of my favorite Dum Dum Girls record. As a whole, Only in Dreams is a fantastic front-to-back listen, an immensely catchy collection of songs that remains upbeat in the face of an ailing best friend. And though “Bedroom Eyes” is pretty similar to a number of the record’s remaining tracks, it’s a tad better than the rest.
“Season in Hell”
With The End of Daze EP, Dee Dee put the kibosh on all the sorrow and negativity she’d been feeling during the recording of Only in Dreams. “Season in Hell” describes her then-current state to a T, as it muses on her past collapses and hope-filled future. If Dum Dum Girls ever wrote a song for the transition between a happy ending and a credit roll, this surely is it.
“Lost Boys and Girls Club”
“Lost Boys and Girls Club,” the first single off of the Girls’ 2014 release, Too True, again shows the band taking big steps forward. Whereas their early songs consisted of one track of guitars and drums, the anthemic “Lost Boys and Girls Club” has textured guitars, backing synths, and arguably the most rotund rhythm section in the Girls’ arsenal. Check please.