Culture Blues

Album Review: “Only In Dreams” – Dum Dum Girls

Only In Dreams - Dum Dum Girls

During my most recent visit to Canada to cover the altogether-too-wonderful experience that is North By North East, I had the pleasure to catch a bevy of groups live who previously had eluded me. One of the best of these musical discoveries was, without question, catching the secret Dum Dum Girls set at the legendary El Mocambo. To paraphrase my piece from mid-June, these girls were a swagger (NOT swag) oozing four-piece who played sugary sweet blasts of garage excitement. I then went back and listened to their debut record, I Will Be, and was just as impressed by the lo-fi, energetic, and obscenely catchy tunes that were condensed into a mere 28 minutes. Needless to say I was thrilled when I found out that Dum Dum Girls were dropping another record this year.

There are some rather stark differences between Only In Dreams and its predecessor. First there are the themes: while the first Dum Dum Girls record was full of the time honored cliches one would normally attribute to the rebellious spirit of youth, Only In Dreams is a much more serious and candid record that deals with the death of front-woman (and principle songwriter) Kristen Gundred’s mother, and the nature of her relationship with her husband, Crocodiles front-man Brandon Welchez. The other notable difference between the two records is the production quality. Only In Dreams sports a much slicker finish than the DIY aesthetic of I Will Be. The increased fidelity and maturity present on Only In Dreams make it a considerably different listening experience than the band's debut, and it is difficult to determine if that is something that should be considered an upgrade.

Only In Dreams kicks off with Always Looking, a raucous track that shows off the new mixing decisions being employed by the band, as Gundred’s vocals are now upfront and no longer distorted. It is here on the first track that we are introduced to the basic tempo and structure that is pretty much the template for every song on the album, and I’m sure you are aware that such a realization is never a good one. The truth is, I think the band’s sound lost a little something in this attempt to change. The increased clarity actually acts as a magnifying glass that this kind of music does not need, due largely to the fact that such scrutiny  leads to disillusionment. There are some decent tunes on this record; Bedroom Eyes, with it’s sunny harmonies, and Just A Creep, with its surf-riffage and Crimson and Clover verse cadence, are both solid pleasers, while Teardrops On My Pillow has a Bangles/Pretenders feel and a clever chorus hook which make it by far the best track on the record. But, they aren’t enough to pull this record out of B/B+ territory.

This record is still better than most of the stuff you hear out there in the matrix,  especially when compared to the other female garage groups out there now during the chick-rock renaissance (like Best Coast. Btw I know that Best Coast is not all-girl, but you get my drift). The issue is that this record is not better than the last Dum Dum Girls record, and these ladies are still at a point where they are trying to grow. You never know though, all they need is for one of these songs to get in the back of a commercial. Then they could become super popular and this review could make me look like an ass. I'm fine with that.