THE SPAZZYS
Dumb Is Forever

By Shane Pinnegar

The Spazzys have a tendency to be written off as little more than a Ramones-alike bunch of teenage pop punkers, but “Dumb Is Forever” should change those perceptions – although not so radically that you’d not recognise their infectious tunes.

The follow up to 2004’s “Aloha! Go Bananas”, “Dumb Is Forever” shows everything that was great about that debut album has been honed to perfection in the long seven year wait between albums.

That means you have brain eating melodies that you’ll be humming and singing all but instantly, it means 3 chord power pop punk awesomeness abounds, and it means cool and fun lyrics which explore themes a bit deeper than the normal pop punk obsessions of partying and unrequited love.

It’s great and glorious, upbeat and bouncy, layered with Spectorish Wall-Of-Sound harmonies and impossible not to tap your feet, nod your head and bounce off the walls to.

Check out ‘Best Waves Ever’, ‘Understand’ and ‘I Want A Divorce’ for perfect examples of how to cross that leather jacketed Ramones sound with the Sixties girl group vocals they obviously love – these three school friends even manage to make the word “Dissolution” catchy as hell! (‘Dissolution (Is The Only Solution)’ ).

Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another seven years for another sugary girlpunk classic!