Dum Dum Girls – Only in Dreams

Rating:

Last year, Dum Dum Girls released I Will Be, an album filled with noise pop riffs and all the girl power you could possibly pack into a single album. This album launched these girls into the fame of the indie-sphere, forever allowing them to be of buzz worthy status. On this sophomore album, they look to branch off a little from their power pop to a more dimensional sound, as to show their diversity.

With so many of the members of this band in various other acts, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their sound has matured in nature since their last release. It seems as if each lady gained some experience from their individual projects that allowed their collective dreamy pop to feel tighter knit. The first song is “Always Looking,” which kicks things off on a jamming note from the instant it begins. At two minutes and twenty-one seconds, Dum Dum Girls waste no time ad jump straight into the wailing guitars, the sassy powerful vocals of lead singer Dee-Dee and the luscious waves of sound. Already, it is apparent that the sound quality is already triumphant over previous releases.

Even though not much seems to have changed stylistically for these ladies, there is a definitive confident sound that emanates in these jam. Most of the songs hover around the traditional three-minute mark, save for “Coming Down,” but that is a different beast entirely. At six and a half minutes, this song is a crawling delight that ebbs and flows with the angular guitars and that slow resonating drum beats that juxtapose with the honeyed vocals. For me, it is one of the more intriguing numbers that this band has crafted. It is not as though the youthful spirit has been lost, but instead, it is channeled into emotion rather than just fast drumbeats and surface level lyrics. Don’t get me wrong, you can still find this fast and furious pop on Only in Dreams. The next song, in fact, is the epitome of this classic poppy sound with ample jam for you to shake your hair to.

This album is definitely a step in the best direction for Dum Dum Girls. They have taken what was best from their previous releases, perfected them, and then added new elements to spice up their sound and keep old listeners from getting bored. It’s an entertaining album that plays around with what you would expect from these ladies. Have a listen.