?According to lead singer and principle composer of Dum Dum Girls, Dee Dee Penny, she wrote most of “Too True” in a fit of drunken loneliness at the Chateau Marmot in Hollywood. This would make sense as most of the album follows the exact same basic pop formula throughout. There is very little variation in its formulaic patterns; it features the same repeated harmonies and guitar chords constantly. None of the ten songs on this album extend over four minutes and very few extend past the three-minute mark. The songs themselves have some artistic merit, however. Certain moments and lyrics stick out such as “ Your eyes like black X’s of hate and hexes” and the refrain of “Rimbaud Eyes” set right next to Arthur Rimbaud’s own verses from “The Drunken Boat.” Those few moments of artistic credibility lend assurance of Dee Dee Penny’s (given name Kristin Gundred) intelligence but don’t improve a dull album.
?The real problem with the Dum Dum Girls, though, is the media portrayal of them. Every few years a cycle of grungy, fem-pop bands makes waves through the internet. Dum Dum Girls and the Vivian Girls started this trend in the late 2000s and then passed their throne of attention to bands such as Best Coast and Cults. This year the new it-girl bands include both HAIM and Chvrches. This constant cycle of bands does not lend much assurance for quality. The “indie media” demands a new stream of conscious female icons to replace mainstream female powerhouses that sell sex along with their music such as Katy Perry and Rihanna. Instead, what they’ve created is a more socially conscious, more musically inclined, grungy Katy Perry. It’s the same soulless pop but this time with more guitar riffs and less sex.
?“Too True” was produced by Richard Gottehrer, who is most famous for songs such the 1960s classics “I Want Candy” and “My Boyfriend’s Back,” meaning the person who originally brought fem-pop to the masses handled the production. Their target demographic is the same that Gottehrer targeted originally, so the collaboration between the two is a logistically sound one. Legendary Seattle recording label, Sub Pop handles the Dum Dum Girls. It is unclear what sonic influences the legendary “Sub Pop sound” has had for the band. Some of the riffs sound like they could be taken directly from a Dinosaur Jr. album and some seem to be softer and poppier than what Sub Pop has historically offered.
?There is some variety in the tempo of their songs though. “Cult of Love” offers some intriguing guitar work that is enhanced by an echo effect with the lyrics, while songs such as “In The Wake Of You” are decorated with some non-distorted guitar lines. “Under These Hands,” a rebellion against conformity (ironically), slows down the pace and replaces the distorted grunge with a calmer, acoustic sound. Perhaps, the best song on this album is the closer, “Trouble is My Name.” Penny’s vocals spread over washed out guitar riffs and the calling of “I’m troubled, she’s troubled / I’m troubled, she’s troubled” sounds perfectly placed amongst the distortions.
?Penny described her album as an attempt to “chase pop into the dark,” and while her delicate voice and distorted guitar riffs are not something that is currently in the mainstream, it does not make her album artistically any better or different than what fills the charts. If this album does find its way into your headphones then take the suggestion of dividing the album into separate sections so their sound does not grow old as quickly. There is some artistic merit to “Too True;” it is just hidden amongst the media-driven fuzz.
