Electric Fate With A Cosmic Kiss

Dum Dum Girls “He Gets Me High”

I’ve seen the Dum Dum Girls in concert twice and both times I left thinking that Dee Dee’s voice was much better live than on record. That issue has been addressed on the band’s new EP, a set of four tracks that find the band embracing a glossier, more confident sound. It’s a smart move. Unlike many of their peers, the Dum Dum Girls never needed fuzzy production and heavy reverb to improve upon their material or mask their inadequacies as performers. If anything, that sort of thing kept people from noticing Dee Dee’s remarkable craft as a songwriter. It’s hard to miss that in “He Gets Me High,” the EP’s title track. The hooks are simple but expertly composed, and the lyrics are straightforward but precise, suggesting a fair amount of psychological depth and emotional turmoil with blunt, direct language. She sounds wonderful too, like a more demure Chrissie Hynde backed up by louder guitars.

Buy it from Amazon.