The Dollyrots - 'Whiplash Splash'

Simple yet complex, serious yet fun, 'Whiplash Splash' is a glorious contradiction that delivers fun by the bucket-load.

Oh my, haven't I been blessed with a plethora of Punky Pop this issue, culminating with the sixth album from irrepressible urchins The Dollyrots. These two have been churning out spectacularly catchy tunes for a while now, and one skim of YouTube will let newbies know exactly what to expect from their crowdfunded new record 'Whiplash Splash', as there's nothing broken so nothing needs to be fixed.

TD are a very easy band to fall in love with. Kelly Ogden (vocals) and Luis Cabezas (guitars) are the core of the band, and obviously have an ear for fiery fun tunes and neat lyrics. They've recently toured with Bowling For Soup, and certainly have a similar vibe to that band's earlier work.



Opening track 'I Do' is three and a half minutes of fast, furiously fun, bubble-gum music that doesn't lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight. Ogden has a voice similar to Courtney Love on 'Celebrity Skin', and if you liked the attitude, melody and fun of that song, you'll love the thirteen tracks here. There's a sense of knowing fun in the lyrics of tunes like 'Just Because I'm Blonde' and 'Saturday Morning', with the Punky energy put aside for the rather haunting ballad 'Jump Start This Heart' (which starts off almost exactly like 'I Want To Know What Love Is'). They even manage to get away with closing on a great, energy-filled cover of 'Walking On Sunshine', but then again this is a band that previously recorded a Punked-up cover of The Wurzels' 'The Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)' so they know how to treat someone else's tune.

Simple yet complex, serious yet fun, 'Whiplash Splash' is a glorious contradiction that delivers fun by the bucket-load. Armed with three chords, great songs and a lead singer that couldn't be more perfect, The Dollyrots are guaranteed to brighten up anyone's day.

Alan Holloway