A strong debut by a young New York band, “God Is Dead” is the first thrash punk song from the Big Apple, unless you consider the BAD BRAINS a New York outfit. The other songs are fast but more traditional stylistically.
My favorite style of HOLLY! The cool ’60s garage / girl group update with her untouchable vocals! The title track is beyond… I spent my teenage years going to see THEE HEADCOATEES every month at various pubs in North London and having to leave before they finished playing because of having to get the goddamn last train! A true and total psycho fan, I own most all the solo records by each HEADCOATEE, but I sorta petered off with HOLLY GOLIGHTLY partly because of budgetary concerns (she has a lot of records my friends!), but also because she went country blues in a way that was a little dull to these ears at least. On the evidence of this and the last LP, she is back where we want her to be! We meaning me! This is totally what I want! Bruce Brand on drums!!! It’s like it’s my birthday forever. This is the sound of a sploitation movie set in Soho in 1965: that beat sound, with her cool fire voice—this is a dream! Makes me wanna grab my deerstalker hat and get myself to a dancefloor! A great record by one of the talents of our times.
I’ve always loved that the Scandinavians have a real appreciation for music history. The music they put out rarely exists in a vacuum. Female-fronted garage rock’n’roll, this one has a real feel for the girl vocal bands of the early ’60s. It’s got the harmonies, the handclaps, the melancholic vocals and lyrics. And while the focus is on the vocals, it’s not at the expense of the finger-snapping garage fuzz that carries it all. I find the production nicely balanced; it’s nicely done, but not overdone. They knew what they were trying to achieve and they achieved it.
Everything from the album layout, to the way they dress, to the music itself, feels like this came out of Detroit sixty years ago—but don’t be fooled, this duo is out of Denmark and giving us this fantastic pop-rock right now! This 7”, released four months ago, is already sold out! What’s happening? 1960s garage/girl group influence has really been showing up lately, like with the EXBATS, who I just reviewed, for example, but the COURETTES take the influence to the next level while modernizing the lyrics. If “Misfits & Freaks” doesn’t get used at the climax of the next feel-good indie apocalypse film, then it’ll be a major missed opportunity. The aforementioned A-side starts off with tambourine claps, a clever acoustic guitar riff, and a lamented version of the chorus vocals before the drop of distortion, a full drum kit, and a faster tempo. It’s irresistibly catchy with backing “ooh”s and “ahh”s under the line “Cheer up, you misfits and freaks.” This song came from their 2021 Back In Mono LP, but they’ve reworked it a little here to give an even more devil-may-care attitude that came from the uncertainty of the pandemic lockdowns. The B-side, a brand new track, starts up with the same riff and “Cheer up, cheer up” backing line from the previous song, only to switch gears to surfy guitar strums that lead to “The way he looks / And all his charms / I could die in his arms,” with all the trappings of ’60s girl groups, and they certainly pull it off. Please, have a listen.
For some reason I’m drawn to duos. I’m also a fan of female-fronted punk rock. And I like my music firmly rooted in a garage. That this duo has one member from Denmark and one from Brazil is kind of amazing to me. How did these two find each other? Anyway, this is some seriously rocking garage punk. The A-side is a rocker that’s super catchy and melodic, and on the B-side they rip into a classic ’60s girl ballad. While only a single, I think I could listen to these two tracks all day long. How have I not heard of these two before?
I can’t lie: aesthetically, I was dead-set on hating this. Another garage duo, and outfits calling back to the go-go era and Brando’s The Wild One get-up that so many rocker dudes can’t hang up in the closet. But yeah, okay, sure, that’s just the record jacket. And my mom always taught me…you know. Truthfully, this album is a pleasure. Great crackling and cavernous production that gives some edge to its sprawling harmonies and baroquely early ’60s pop structures. These two Danes clearly have no interest in leaving the past where it is, and while those types of outright recreations can often feel like forgeries, you just can’t call a good song bad. And these are good goddamn songs. Written with intention and educated ears, played to hip-swinging perfection. There’s even a sort of NANCY SINATRA by way of ’60s spy spoof soundtrack number (“Until You’re Mine”) that just works. I’m almost irritated, but ultimately just happy to see someone out there pulling off this sound without sounding precious.
