It was the 90s. Weezer’s Blue Album was out and I was obsessed with “Only in Dreams,” that eight-minute-long closing track with the easiest — and most satisfying — riff since “Come As You Are.” I remember sitting at home, playing that line along with the CD and thinking, if only there were a girl version of Weezer, some similar female incarnation that I could really sing along to, without changing pronouns or getting out of range (remember, I was young and hadn’t yet done much investigating outside of The Pretenders and Blondie). Years later, Dum Dum Girls have fulfilled my wish: their new album, Only in Dreams, is coming out September 27 from Sub Pop.
Now, okay, there’s not really any coherent link between River Cuomo’s reverie and Dum Dum Girls’. Dee Dee makes no mention of him when describing their sophomore full-length, only that, “The first record was basically the first songs I’d ever written, and I was thinking nostalgically about being a teenager. This record, it was pretty much impossible not to write about very recent, very real things.” If you knew nothing about the songs, the reality of those things might seem a bit suspect given the oneiric nature of the title, but they do in fact cover extremely personal matters — most notably, the death of Dee Dee’s mother last fall. This time around, though, Dee Dee’s not the only girl in the spotlight: all four members of the group purportedly sing on the forthcoming record.
Richard Gottehrer, who produced 2010’s debut I Will Be, did the honors again for Only in Dreams, along with The Raveonette’s Sune Rose Wagner (the two of them also worked together on the EP He Gets Me High). To make their credits even more illustrious, Dum Dum Girls recorded the album at Josh Homme’s (yes, that Josh Homme) Pink Duck Studios, which looks like it would be pretty fun if this video tour is any indication of the experience. Check out the tracklisting below, and then check out the newly announced giant world tour, where Dee Dee and her husband Brandon Welchez (Crocodiles) finally get to be together on the road!
Only in Dreams:
01. Always Looking
02. Bedroom Eyes
03. Just a Creep
04. In My Head
05. Heartbeat
06. Caught in One
07. Coming Down
08. Wasted Away
09. Teardrops on My Pillow
10. Hold Your Hand
Dates:
07.12.11 - Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi
07.13.11 - Tampere, Finland - Klubi
07.15.11 - Hultsfred, Sweden - Hultsfred Festival
07.16.11 - Istanbul, Turkey - Rock n Coke Festival
08.28.11 - Los Angeles, CA - Sunset Junction
10.01.11 - San Diego, CA - Casbah $
10.02.11 - Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar $
10.03.11 - Hollywood, CA - Troubadour $
10.04.11 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall $
10.07.11 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge $
10.08.11 - Vancouver, BC - Electric Owl $
10.09.11 - Seattle, WA - Neumos $
10.12.11 - St. Paul MN - Turf Club $
10.13.11 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
10.14.11 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle $
10.15.11 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick $
10.16.11 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace $
10.17.11 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore $
10.19.11 - Boston, MA - Paradise $
10.21.11 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom $#
10.22.11 - Washington, DC - Black Cat $#
10.23.11 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer $#
10.24.11 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell’s $#
11.03.11 - Berlin, Germany - FESTSAAL
11.04.11 - Cologne, Germany - MTC
11.05.11 - Lyon, France - Le Clacson (Tinnitus Festival)
11.08.11 - Nantes, France - Stereolux
11.09.11 - Roubaix Lille, France - La Cave aux Poètes
11.10.11 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
11.11.11 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - London Calling
11.13.11 - Manchester, UK - FAC251
11.14.11 - Newcastle, UK - Cluny
11.15.11 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social
11.16.11 - Wrexham, UK - Central Station
11.17.11 - London, UK - University of London Union
$ Crocodiles
# Royal Baths
• Dum Dum Girls: http://wearedumdumgirls.com
• Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com
