If you hate hyperbole, stop reading now. The verbiage will pile up. This Sydney band draws from previous endeavours (notably, The Dolly Rocker Movement), inhales deeply from the musty vault of '60s bubblegum and psych and puts their own bent on things. They are The Shit That You Need To Hear Right Now. They're just what this city's flaccid music scene needs.The same probably applies to the postcode in which you reside.So…Dolly Rocker frontman Dandelion now answers to Daniel Darling. Since the demise of his old band and a near-death experience in LA, he's surrounded himself with guitarist Knives, organist Nina B and drummer Mon Cherie. Fuzz guitars and Mysterians-styled keyboard lines abound. It's a swirling mix of sounds that recall The Fuzztones and Baby Woodrose as much as forebears like the Music Machine (R.I.P. Sean Boniwell.)
If you're Australian and waste time listening to popular radio you might be aware "I Got A Letter" has been on Triple Jay. Don't hold that against the Creeps - think of it as an indication that the hip hop and dance-obsessed playlist Nazis that pervade the upper ranks of the national yew network may not be as gormless as we all thought. The song's a fair representation of what the band's about but for mine there are better moments on this succinct five-tracker. "Mustang Momma" is all hypnotic keys and strangulated fuzz guitar. Too much splash in the cymbals but that's no hanging crime. "While You Talk" is a recycled Dolly Rocker song with energy and urgency riding on the back of a killer feel underneath duelling keys and guitars. "Moving Sideways" is the best HMAS Bounty cover committed to disc since the Intercontinental Playboys. As the Cramps would have said: "You got good taste."
"EP" is mostly sunny side up but closing track "La La Blues" shows it sometimes rains too. It's a monstrous creeping, dark trip into the seamy underbelly of that place where the debris meets the sea. Listen and draw your own conclusions.
Rock and roll is on the defensive. Straws are being clutched at. We live in times in which epithets like "great" are tossed around like threats at a gangster wedding but make no mistake - these guys (three-quarters gals, actually) will surely validate the tag. Attempts to prove me wrong will set you back five Australian bucks plus postage. Make appropriate payment arrangements before it's too late.
3/4
