Well this was a very nice surprise! I come home from vacation to discover that Rum Bar Records has dropped a new single from the Lemon Drop Gang that I didn't even know was coming out! It's like Lou sent me a welcome home present! Already responsible for my #1 ranked single of the year, Tucson's finest are back with another legitimate double A-side garage pop extravaganza. "I'm Done!" finds the band on the punk rock side of the garage door. Featuring a thrillingly furious vocal from Steph O'Halloran, this song conveys what it feels like to be 100% fed up with someone and not taking any more shit ever. In typical LDG fashion, this tune manages to transcend genre even as it brings to mind nearly every genre I love. Who doesn't love an angry song that you can dance to all day long? "Johnny is a Jerk," the virtual flip side, is a hilarious response to Lesley Gore's iconic hits "It's My Party" and "Judy's Turn To Cry." It was co-written by the band and Bradford Trojan. In a musical style very much in line with the songs it sends up, this track states what many of us have been thinking for decades: that Johnny sure was a piece of shit! What kind of man feels good about breaking girls' hearts? And why did so many '60s pop songs glorify jerky guys? Here the LDG has great fun imagining Johnny's comeuppance and satirizing '60s teen pop tropes (see if you can spot references to additional songs of that era). In addition to being funny as hell, the lyrics are super on-point and more than a little relevant to modern times. I don't see how anyone could listen to this song and not conclude that Steph O'Halloran is an absolute star. And musically, this is perfect '60s-style pop with a pinch of the LDG's signature desert twang. It certainly didn't hurt to have the great Matt Rendon playing drums on this track! Rendon recorded this single and co-produced it with the band. Behold another one of the year's top singles, and it's a free download! On that oh-so-loaded Rum Bar roster of talent, the Lemon Drop Gang continues to stand out as one the label's finest bands.
No comments:
Post a Comment