[#8-12 on this countdown are basically tied. I’ve put them in order of release date.]
I‘m pretty sure I should’ve gotten into this band way before I did. Months before, anyway. I have a tendency to ignore things that I feel like are overhyped on the blogs, and I sort of got that vibe from Dum Dum Girls (plus I initially had trouble taking a band called “Dum Dum Girls” seriously). But I even remember a friend mentioning that they were playing somewhere and I kind of brushed it off without really paying attention.
Now I’m kicking myself for that, because when I finally picked up the album (begrudgingly, out of a completionist need to at least check out most buzzed-about bands by the end of the year) I fell in love with it instantly. They’re all retro noise-poppy and chick-rocky and shoegazey – all things I love. Add in a little bit of bhangra flavor on some songs, and some well-used guest performances (Crocodiles’ Brandon Welchez on Blank Girl, which despite being highly repetitive is somehow one of my favorite songs of the year), and it really makes the album sound fresh, despite how much of a great throwback it is to earlier styles. They fill the spot in my listening that the Raveonettes left empty this year, but with a bit more sweetness.
I also love how the videos maintain the really grungy ’80s retro vibe. It may be a bit of a gimmick, but it’s one that I like, and it’s backed up by solid songwriting.