Dum Dum Girls
I Will Be

What began as a solo project for Kristen Gundred (that's Dee Dee, to you and I) gradually developed into an all-girl band. Dum Dum Girls may have a 'too cool for school' image - but their debut album is an explosion of scuzzy rock 'n' roll brilliance, with a harmonic, feminine twist.

Much of Dum Dum Girls' debut album was recorded in a fairly basic manner; the leader of the pack, Dee Dee, has openly admitted that recording – or guitar playing, for that matter – is not her forté. Yet the lack of glitter and polish to these songs only adds to their character, and the ensuing product is one of the most thrilling releases of the year, so far.

One of the best things about 'I Will Be' is the fact that it clocks in at just 28 minutes, yet it doesn't feel like a short album. It could be the layers of haze and the brisk thrash of drums that lure the listener into a hypnotic state; certainly, songs like swoonsome ode-to-her-husband 'Rest of Our Lives' sound almost Cocteau Twin-esque with the singer's dreamy, echoed vocals, while the harmonies - particularly as heard on the sublime title track - are equally beguiling.

Yet apart from two of three calmer numbers, the vast majority of 'I Will Be' is an urgent, impulsive collection of songs that nod respectfully to both the punk scene, and '60s Spector-produced girl groups. 'Yours Alone', a song simply begging to be pogo-ed to, even bears a slight resemblance to Undertones' gem 'My Perfect Cousin'. A firecracker of a debut album.

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