The Peppermint Kicks have titled their second album
Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum, so of course you can expect a doom metal masterpiece. Just kidding. The sensational super-duo of Dan Kopko (Watts, The Shang Hi Los) and Sal Baglio (Amplifier Heads, The Stompers) is back with ten more tracks of '70s-inspired glam rock and pop that fittingly arrive with several weeks of summer still in front of us. As terrific as the band's 2021 self-titled debut album was,
Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum (out today on Rum Bar Records) is at a whole other level. We can debate all day whether it's better to be a singles band or an album band, but The Peppermint Kicks have aspired to make the whole question moot.
Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum is essentially a whole album of singles. The duo's sound and identity remain heavily influenced by the pre-punk '70s — think glam rock, bubblegum, early power pop, and big hooky arena rock. One listen to this album will have you fondly recalling a time when you lived for listening to the radio and spending your allowance on LPs at the record store. But the chemistry and shared musical vision between these two fantastic songwriters feel considerably more developed this time out. You can hear elements of their other bands at times, but you can also hear them combining their talents to create something that's uniquely The Peppermint Kicks.
The best thing about being an indie band making a classic rock record in the 2020s is that you don't have to worry about record label interference, commercial pressures, or unsympathetic producers getting in your way. I am reasonably sure that Malibu Lou didn't lock these guys in a closet and threaten to not let them out until they had written another "When Rock & Roll Met Your Dad." Kopko and Baglio were free to just make the album they wanted to make. And just as the title suggests, this is a great pop record that really rocks. But by no means is it a copy of its predecessor. "Radio Wam Bam Boom" and "Too Sweet (Oh Yeah!)" kick off the album with a 1-2 punch of vintage glam rock pop action. But any fears of every song on the record sounding the same are quickly assuaged. "Number One Record" and "Out Of The Trashcan Into Your Heart" are truly perfect pop songs. "Little Doll (Picolla Pupa)" is a garage-rocking throwback to prime '60s British pop. "Shangri La" is laidback and dreamy — a calming moment in the shade that gives way to the dizzying, Cheap Trick meets The Strokes rush of "Lollipop Girl". "Gigantor," with its classic Bowie vibes, is nicely paired with the upbeat punky power pop of "Speed Racer." "We Did It All For Rock & Roll" is the big arena rock anthem that brings it all to a rousing conclusion.
It goes without saying that Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum is a perfect record for the summertime. But like any great pop-rock album, it's truly for all seasons. There was never going to be much mystery about what a band called The Peppermint Kicks would sound like. But on this second album, Kopko and Baglio (joined by drummers Kevin Rapillo, Chris Anzalone, and Napoleon Hashimoto) bring a sound that's bigger, hookier, and even more satisfying. Who can't relate to songs about the radio, French girls, British girls, Italian pop stars, Japanese cartoons, and rock 'n' roll itself? And with Danny The K himself mixing and mastering the record, there was no chance that the musical vision would be compromised in the studio. The album sounds both classic and contemporary, and that's absolutely a hallmark of a Kopko production. I can still remember the first time Lou told me that these two guys we working on a record together and thinking, "Holy shit!" Well The Peppermint Kicks have turned out to be everything I hoped they would be and then some. I spent most of this week driving around in 95 degree weather in my non air-conditioned car listening to Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum trying to decide which songs were the "hits." I had no success, but rarely in my life have I enjoyed failing at something that much. This is indeed a whole album of hits!
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