If there's any band out there that can exemplify just how instantaneous blogs can break a new band it's L.A.'s Dum Dum Girls. Just a year ago Dee Dee (real name Kristen Gundred) self-released 100 copies of an EP that "was just something I recorded without any intent to put it out publicly." Fast-forward a few months and two vinyl-only releases on influential indies Hozac and Captured Tracks cemented her status as an underground obsession. But to Dee Dee "it still seemed like something that could just exist in the recorded format."
It wasn't until Sub Pop came knocking that Dee Dee realized these wistful, lo-fi pop songs could be her livelihood. Her debut album, I Will Be, is just the sort of job security Dum Dum Girls require for career longevity. For the album she moved away from her coarse, lo-fi production style and wisely brought in renowned songwriter/producer Richard Gottehrer. Together they found a happy medium in minimizing the levels of feedback and maximizing the harmonies.
"I don't think we messed with my sound too much," Dee Dee admits. "Sub Pop and I wanted to retain the same sort of sound I had been doing, but I did want there to be an improvement in the sound. I stripped the tracks of the effects and then Richard re-effected things on his end. It really worked out perfect for me because as much as I love having the noise, I did want to take a step away from what I was doing myself."
It wasn't until Sub Pop came knocking that Dee Dee realized these wistful, lo-fi pop songs could be her livelihood. Her debut album, I Will Be, is just the sort of job security Dum Dum Girls require for career longevity. For the album she moved away from her coarse, lo-fi production style and wisely brought in renowned songwriter/producer Richard Gottehrer. Together they found a happy medium in minimizing the levels of feedback and maximizing the harmonies.
"I don't think we messed with my sound too much," Dee Dee admits. "Sub Pop and I wanted to retain the same sort of sound I had been doing, but I did want there to be an improvement in the sound. I stripped the tracks of the effects and then Richard re-effected things on his end. It really worked out perfect for me because as much as I love having the noise, I did want to take a step away from what I was doing myself."
