The Coolies

Uh Oh! It’s ... The Coolies (2019)

Jasonic

The Coolies are a new collaboration between Muffs frontwoman Kim Shattuck, former Friggs guitarist Palmyra Delran and Muffs / White Flag member Melanie Vammen. This supergroup of sorts has released their debut 6 song EP on Wicked Cool Records. Some amazing guest musicians are along for the ride.

This EP kicks off with “Uh Oh!” to a steady garage rock beat you would expect from those involved with the Coolies. Plenty of back up vocal harmonies are present during the chorus. Next is “Ignoramus” which is a strong rocker of a tune. The highlight of this track would be the underlying and subtle “La La La La La La” backing vocals throughout the track. The song is further rounded out and supported by a catchy guitar lead during the bridge. On “Pathetica” the EP steers in a folk direction reminiscent of bands such as CUB. The Coolies follow this pattern on “Glad I Met You” which is track 5 on the EP. The laid-back instrumentation allows Kim’s strong vocals to shine. Roy McDonald formerly of the Muffs lends his drumming on these tracks. The EP’s strongest track “Blueberry Crumble” is sandwiched between “Pathetica” and “Glad I Met You”. This revenge on former lover track rocks hard. Stevie Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen fame plays theramin on this cut. This one will please all Muffs fans the most out of all on this EP. The final track “Yeah I Don’t Know” closes out this release. This mid-paced tempo garage rocker is a solid ender.

The Coolies have released a very cool debut EP to help combat a very hot summer. This promising initial offering will hopefully be the first of more to come. Right now, very few are cooler than the Coolies!