Dum Dum Girls was an American rock band, formed in 2008. It began as the bedroom recording project of singer and songwriter Dee Dee (née Kristin Gundred). She is currently based in Los Angeles. The name is a double homage to

the Vaselines The Vaselines are a Scottish alternative rock band. Formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1986, the band was originally a duo between its songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on b ...

' album ''Dum Dum'' and the Iggy Pop song "Dum Dum Boys".Zach, Kell
"I Will Be" review
''Pitchfork.com''. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-22

History

The first release under the Dum Dum Girls moniker was a five-song CDR on her own label, Zoo Music, in late 2008. It was followed by an EP on Captured Tracks and a 7" on HoZac Records She quickly gained attention with these releases and signed to Sub Pop in July 2009. Dum Dum Girls' debut album, '' I Will Be'', was released in March 2010 and was well received by critics. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' described the songs as "genuine earworms, both unfailingly hip and often wonderfully associative". Dee Dee produced the record with

Richard Gottehrer Richard Gottehrer (born 1940) is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. In 1997, he co-founded the Orchard with longtime business partner Scott Cohen, an independent music distribution company. His career began as ...

, who had previously worked with

Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television and ...

, Blondie, the Go-Gos and

the Raveonettes The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals. Their music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly Br ...

. Gottehrer also co-wrote the early 1960s hit songs " My Boyfriend's Back" and "

I Want Candy "I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat. Original version "I Want Candy" ...

". The record included guest guitarists Nick Zinner of

Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...

on "Yours Alone"; Dee Dee's ex-husband, Brandon Welchez of

Crocodiles Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant memb ...

, on "Blank Girl"; and Andrew Miller on multiple tracks. The cover of the album featured a college snapshot of Dee Dee's mother, who died from cancer in 2010. After its release, Dee Dee assembled a touring band, and their first shows were in support of

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

. In 2011, the EP '' He Gets Me High'' was released, which included a cover of "

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Featured on the band's third studio album ''The Queen Is Dead'', it was not released as a single in t ...

" by

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

. This record marked the addition of Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes to the production team. Second album '' Only in Dreams'' was released in September 2011, featuring the singles "Coming Down" and "Bedroom Eyes". This album is the only Dum Dum Girls recording to feature the full band. On December 1, 2011, Dum Dum Girls performed "Bedroom Eyes" on '' Late Night with Jimmy Fallon''. In September 2012, the EP '' End of Daze'' was released, preceded by the single "Lord Knows" on July 31, 2012, which ''Pitchfork'' awarded "Best New Track". The EP received "Best New Music" from ''Pitchfork'' as well. On October 31, 2013, Dum Dum Girls announced their third full-length album '' Too True,'' set for release on January 28, 2014 and featuring the single "Lost Boys & Girls Club", whose video premiered with H&M on October 31, 2013. For this album, Dee Dee cited

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was firs ...

, Blondie, Siouxsie and the Banshees,

the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

, Madonna and the Stone Roses as her influences. On December 5, 2014,

Converse Converse may refer to: Mathematics and logic * Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement ** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication ** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...

released a Dum Dum Girls split single, "On Christmas", as the third part of three digital installments of the company's holiday-themed compilation EP, ''Noise to the World 2''.

Other projects

The Mayfair Set, a duo with Mike Sniper of Blank Dogs, released an eponymous single followed by the ''Young One'' 12" EP, both in 2009. Dee Dee and Tamaryn released a cover of

the Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they re ...

song "Teenage Lust" in 2011 under the name Les Demoniaques. Also that year, Dee Dee, Sniper and J.B. Townsend of Crystal Stilts recorded a one-sided 7" single, "Faraway Friend," under the name Zodiacs, which was given away via Captured Tracks mail order. Dee Dee and her husband released a 2013 single, "Something That Feels Bad Is Something That Feels Good", as Haunted Hearts, followed by the ''Initiation'' full-length in 2014. In 2012, Dum Dum Girls drummer Sandra Vu created the band

Sisu SiSU (SiSU information structuring universe or Structured information, serialized units), is a Unix command line-oriented framework for document structuring, publishing and search. Usage Using markup applied to a document, or a collection of do ...

, which she described as combining "echo-ridden, cold, distorted synth sounds—with pop melodies". In 2013, Dee Dee composed the

opening theme A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often a opening theme song with vis ...

for the animated series '' Beware the Batman''. She was also featured on "Play for Today", a duet from Belle and Sebastian's 2015 album, '' Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance''. In May 2015, Dee Dee and collaborator UUV/Andrew Miller released a single, "Is There Any Other One?", as HUNI. She also featured on

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using ...

's single "Dancer on the Shore" in August 2015. In November 2015, Sub Pop released a collaboration 7" single, "Red Sun" b/w "Echo", with the 4AD band Merchandise. On January 28, 2016, Dee Dee announced the closure of the Dum Dum Girls and the creation of a new solo project, Kristin Kontrol. Her debut album, ''X-Communicate'', was released by Sub Pop on May 27, 2016.

Band members

Final line-up

* Dee Dee – vocals, guitar (2008–2016) *Jules Medeiros – guitar, vocals (2010–2016) *Malia James – bass, vocals (2011–2016) * Sandra Vu – drums, vocals (2010–2016) *Andrew Miller – guitar

Former members

*Bambi – bass, vocals (2010–2011) * Frankie Rose – drums, vocals (2010) *Jeremy Rojas – bass *Andrew Montoya – drums *Brandon Welchez – guitar *Chuck Rowell – keyboard

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

*'' I Will Be'' (2010, HoZac Records/ Sub Pop) *'' Only in Dreams'' (2011, Sub Pop) *'' Too True'' (2014, Sub Pop)

EPs

*'' Dum Dum Girls'' (2008, Zoo Music) *'' Dum Dum Girls'' (2009, Captured Tracks) *'' He Gets Me High'' (2011, Sub Pop) *'' End of Daze'' (2012, Sub Pop)

Singles

*"Longhair" (2008, HoZac Records) *"Jail La La" (2010, Sub Pop) *"Pay for Me/Before It's Gone" split with

Male Bonding In ethology and social science, male bonding or male friendship is the formation of close personal relationships, and patterns of friendship or cooperation between males. In the context of human relationships, male bonding is used to describe ...

(2010, Sub Pop) *"Stiff Little Fingers" (2010, Hell Yes! Records) *"Bhang Bhang, I'm a Burnout" (2010, Slumberland Records) *"Coming Down (Edit)" (2011, Sub Pop) *"Merry Xmas, Baby (Please Don't Die)" with

(2011, Hell Yes! Records) *''Rookie Tunes'' split

flexi disc The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable. ...

with Supercute! (2012,

Drawn & Quarterly Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, a ...

) *"Lord Knows"" (2012, Sub Pop) *"Lost Boys & Girls Club" (2013, Sub Pop) *"Rimbaud Eyes" (2014, Sub Pop) *"On Christmas" (2014, self-released) *"Coming Down" (2015, Sub Pop) *"Red Sun" with Merchandise (2016, Sub Pop)

Compilation albums

*'' Blissed Out'' cassette (2010, Art Fag Recordings)

Compilation appearances

*"Longhair" on '' Rough Trade Shops Indiepop 09'' (2009, Cooperative Music) *"Longhair" and "Mercury Mary" on ''HoZac Hookup Klub Round One'' (2010, HoZac Records) *"Brite Futures" on ''Yeti 7'' (2010, Yeti Publishing LLC) *"Brite Futures" on 7" EP ''Hollow Hollow Eyes/Moon Tan/Brite Futures/The Weekend Starts Here'' (2010, Art Fag Recordings) *"New Beginning" on ''Chickens in Love'' (2010, 826LA/Origami) *"Jail La La" on ''The Hyper Fidelity'' (2010, Cargo Records) *"Coming Down (Radio Edit)" on ''Hand Picked: Sub Pop 2011 from Ours to Yours'' (2011, Sub Pop) *"Lost Boys and Girls Club" on ''Hey! Ho! Let's Go! (15 Tracks of the Best New Music) '' (2013,

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

) *"On Christmas" on digital EP ''Noise to the World 2'' (2014,

) *"I Was Never Punk" on ''Stupid Punk Boy'' (2015, Girlsville) *"Coming Down" on ''Music from the Original Series Orange Is the New Black Seasons 2 & 3'' (2015,

Universal Music Enterprises Universal Music Enterprises (UME, stylized as UMe) is the catalogue division of Universal Music Group. It includes Hip-O Records, Universal Chronicles, and UM3 or UMC (which is the international division of the company). Under various divisions, ...

) *" Letter to Hermione" (

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

cover) on ''A Salute to the Thin White Duke – The Songs of David Bowie'' (2015, Cleopatra Records)

Videos

* "Catholicked" * "Jail La La" * "Blank Girl" * "Bhang Bhang, I'm a Burnout" * "He Gets Me High" * "Bedroom Eyes" * "Coming Down" * "Lord Knows" * "Lost Boys & Girls Club" * "Too True to Be Good" * "Are You Okay?" * "Rimbaud Eyes" * "Under These Hands"

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 2008 All-female bands Indie pop groups from Los Angeles Indie rock musical groups from California Noise pop musical groups Lo-fi music groups Musical quartets Shoegazing musical groups Dream pop musical groups Musical groups disestablished in 2016