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The record isn’t a complete knockout, but it’s a nice consolidation of the Dum Dum Girls sound to date and a fine starting point in what could be a nice string of noise pop records.
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I Will Be provides a welcome and not so dumb dumb tweak to the same old fuzzed-out garage lexicon.
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On the whole, I Will Be invites you to be whisked along by the sheer energy burst: the pots’n’pans clatter of the drums, the crackle and fizz from the amps and the bitter take on romance from Dee Dee herself.
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With production by Richard Goettehrer, who has worked with Blondie, the Go-Gos and others, sees the Dum Dum Girls sound achieve an authentic, balanced sound, deliberately lo-fi and tinny yet listenable and intoxicating.
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Each song sounds like a distinct ray of light and although it’s packed into something both concise and brief, it’s the strength of each song that makes the whole album stand out.
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With each offering clocking in around the two minute mark, 'I Will Be' is over almost as soon as it's begun - leaving behind a smouldering trail of hazy mysticism and filthy bass lines. It's short and sweet, but there's a definite sting in the tail.
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While unlikely to win many prizes for originality, I Will Be possesses likability in spades, not to mention a hefty selection of demurely constructed tunes that might delve into the past for inspiration but smile brightly into the future as a result.
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Dee Dee’s strong, confident voice and songwriting compensates for the lack of originality.
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The summery feel and gloriously messy pop sensibility are at times great fun, but with something that is so derivative, it is hard to get too carried away without getting an urge to switch this album off and dig out the originals.
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This rollicking debut album is a balance-redressing, cliché-bucking tonic.
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Combining 60s girl pop and 70s garage pop with the lo-fi mist that, admittedly, shares common ground with bands like Wavves, Vivian Girls and No Age, Dum Dum Girls come up with a very relevant and heartwarming throwback.
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Some may argue that there’s nothing here the Ramones or Jesus and Mary Chain didn’t do decades ago, and there are obvious similarities, to be sure. However, the decidedly female energy the Dum Dum Girls bring to the table puts them in their own category, inserting some welcome softness and subtlety into the genre.
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The result is a more accessible version of Dum Dum Girls, bolstered by terrific harmonies (three of the four girls contribute vocals) and a crisper rhythm section.
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All in all, Dum Dum Girls have come into their own with a rare debut effort on which everything comes together in a way where reach and grasp go hand-in-hand. In short, I Will Be suggests that the Dum Dum Girls’ future is now.
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The Dum Dum Girls’ debut, I Will Be, plays like a veritable best-of of current trends in lo-fi rock ‘n' pop. In fact, the disc’s (admittedly exhilarating) fidelity to the budding-but-already-overdone genre nearly weighs it down.
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Q MagazineThere's nothing here that hasn't been heard before from countless others, but it's put together with impeccable taste and--importantly--a skilled ear for a tune. [May 2010, p.118]
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On her Dum Dum debut, assisted by Blondie and Go-Go's producer Richard Gottehrer, she cages contagious odes to husband-Crocodiles singer Brandon Welchez (as well as anxious ruminations on losing him) in metallic distortion.
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I Will Be always sounds erratically adolescent in the best possible sense.
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Mostly, though, I Will Be is a flawlessly light album that floats to the top of a lo-fi pond overcrowded with sinking debris.
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I Will Be is undeniably derivative--but exhilarating with it.
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It’s anachronistic, fashionable and sometimes quite beautiful. It’s teen music for adults. It’s also incredibly sentimental.
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UncutIt's a neat homage to '60s girl groups and C86 bands they inspired, spooked-out bubblegum delivered in singer Dee Dee's naive but infectious sing-song. [Jun 2010, p.98]
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Under The RadarFrontwoman Dee Dee's vocals are largely an impressionistic wash, just anther instrument buried in the mix, yet her delivery is impeccable. [Winter 2010, p,62]