Dum Dum Girls

End of Daze (Sub Pop)

The 2010 debut long-player from N.Y./L.A. rockers Dum Dum Girls rode in on a salvo of summery, vintage, DIY lady rock. While others (Vivian Girls, Best Coast) continued in their roles of bright-eyed beach vixens, this quartet improved with expert girl-group songwriting on sophomore full-length Only in Dreams, and maintain that standard for latest EP End of Daze, the band’s fourth. Garage rock thrives in brevity, making this five-song release as impressive as the band’s LPs. Songwriter Dee Dee Penny knows the precise balance between kitsch and emotional outpouring, preventing either from growing stale. “Mine Tonight” offers a starry-eyed love song reminiscent of first album I Will Be, while the first single “Lord Knows” is a haunting that features Penny’s Chrissie Hynde vocal makeover. Shying away from lo-fi, Dum Dum Girls still deliver perfectly spare noise rock (“I Got Nothing”), but they’re best somewhere in between. (Fri., Orange stage, 1:45pm)

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This article appears in November 2 • 2012.

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