Faster and Louder: The Coolies

Friday, May 16, 2025

The Coolies - "Bad Bad Boy"

It's hard to put into words what an absolute delight the new Coolies single is. As dark, terrifying, and hopeless as the world sometimes seems, one listen to "Bad Bad Boy" puts me in a happy place that cannot be touched for two minutes and 42 seconds. When Palmyra Delran, Kim Shattuck, and Melanie Vammen joined forces to form The Coolies a number of years ago, I was over the moon that such a star-studded power pop group could exist. And the band's debut EP lived up to every expectation. And now The Coolies are back with a single that will be hard for anyone to top in 2025. It's the perfect tribute to Kim Shattuck, who co-wrote the A-side with Palmyra Delran. You really can hear Kim's style and personality in every note of the song — a testament to both her uniqueness as a songwriter and Delran's ability to channel some of her dear friend's vocal mannerisms. This, my friends, is the epitome of a perfect pop song. That melody is gorgeous, and that chorus will have you hooked from the first time you hear it. And with Kathy Valentine on bass and the late Clem Burke (who recorded his tracks while undergoing cancer treatment) on drums, this just might be the greatest garage pop super-group ever assembled. The B-side is a cover of another perfect pop song: Squire's "Over You." It's no surprise that a band made up of some of the coolest humans in the world would be hip to this song, and of course The Coolies do an amazing rendition. A vinyl release of "Bad Bad Boy" on Wicked Cool Records is coming soon. For now, it's streaming in all the usual places!