Dottie Attie

Valentine Tape (2014)

summervillain

There's an unmistakable vibe of first–wave riot grrl to Dottie Attie's Valentine Tape. Not that they sound derivative of any particular band, but it's a bit like stumbling on a long–lost classic of the genre. There's not a lot here to stop you from imagining that Dottie Attie could have shared a bill with Bratmobile, Bikini Kill, or Tuscadero.

These tunes feature surfy single–note guitar lines, midrangey, garagey guitar sounds, and sneery, often rapid–fire, lead vocals offset by sweet 50's rock'n'roll–ish harmonies. They remind me a bit of the Ramones too, maybe because they do that Joey Ramone thing of breaking a one syllable word into multiple syllables. They get in and get the job done quick –– of 8 songs, only "Werewolf" cracks the 2–minute mark.

And they've sunk hooks in my brain –– I've been wandering around humming "Cumstains on My Heart," and "Fangrrltears" under my breath all week. One of my measuring sticks for whether a band has a distinctive voice is how they handle a cover –– do they copy the original, or do they make it their own– Dottie Attie make the Clash's "Protex Blue" sound like they could've written it. Impressive.