Dum Dum Girls “He Gets Me High”

Dum Dum Girls have built quite an impressive reputation for themselves since their infectious and attention winning video for “Jail La La.” The band recently went on to tour with Vampire Weekend, MGMT, The Vaselines, and the now widely respected Sub Pop label mates, Beach House. What really set this group apart from the crowd was their knack for pop under the warmth and comfort of lo-fi noisy indie rock. Clad in black dresses and deep red lipstick, the all-girl quartet has won the hearts of critics once again with the release of their brand new EP also titled He Gets Me High. Pitchfork has embraced this follow-up effort with even more fervor than the last, claim that “rare is the EP that sounds so crucial to an artist’s catalog and narrative, but it won’t be surprising to look back on this release in a few years and see it as pivotal in Dum Dum Girls’ career.” The folks over at Stereogum also concur, giving the album lots of features on their influential weblog. Paste Magazine raves that it is “hard not to fall in love at first listen,” and we certainly think you will agree. The folks over at ABC News have even caught on to this instantly enchanting record, proclaiming that “Dee Dee is a star performer and this act ranks among the best on Sub Pop Records’ current roster” and that the band has “a big future ahead.”

Dee Dee steps up her rock and roll chops, as her voice really takes flight on this acid drenched, yet energetic track. “He Gets Me High” hits like the faster portion of old school sixties rock and roll, with buzzing guitars and tons of harmonies that are as melancholy as they are uplifting. Just think of what a Who record would sound like if it was written by songstress with a lust for life and constant hunger for distortion. Dee Dee, always the careful, intuitive songwriter, evoking complex emotions with an economy of words, lets her girl-group melodies and fuzzed-out Jesus and Mary Chain inspired guitars take the reins.

To confirm the band’s timeless sound and carefree attitude, the video is as psychedelic as ever. Taking a Blind Melon style approach and enjoying the trippy possibilities a piece of cinema can deliver, the band is found playing in a sea of flowers, which become magnified and super imposed over the screen in an array of colors. While the singer is referring to the male figure in her life, one will certainly not feel out of place enjoying this particular offering under the influence of other particular “factors.” The explosions of patterns and filters compliment the heavy fuzz open chords and pounding drums in true summer spirit. If there is a video to summon the rush of speeding down the highway with the windows down on the way to a burning romantic encounter taking place in a setting with no roof, this is it.