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Album reviews Music

Dum Dum Girls

Rating: NNNN


On the band’s third full-length, Dum Dum Girls swap the atmospheric drama of 2012’s End Of Daze EP for punchy dream pop. Chief Dum Dum Dee Dee Penny describes that EP as the end of a period of confusion, and her newfound lucidity is reflected not only in Too True’s lyrics but in its considered production, too: tight, driving drum machine, layered vocals, distorted riffs and guitar effects that recall classic Cure.

Working again with pop Svengali Richard Gottehrer and the Raveonettes’ Sune Rose Wagner, DDG find a nice middle ground between their signature detachment and a classic pop sensibility. In an age of sprawling excess, Too True’s 10 tracks put the point across in 30 minutes.

Penny adds more emotional oomph to her vaporous vocal style, drifting from steely resolve to vulnerability and back again. DDG are known for jangly rock, but balladry is fast becoming their secret weapon – from the grinding distortion of Lost Boys And Girls Club to the serenely reassuring Are You Okay, Too True’s slow-burning belters are stellar.

Top track: Are You OkayKevin Ritchie

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