Black Rainbow Records- 20 AUG 2021
Beach blanket brilliance
“Oh great, an all femme indie surf-pop group with a clever pun in its name. I don’t want to write about this shit.” That’s the thought that went through my head when L.A. Exes and their “Temporary Goodbye” single passed my desk in the news section on TGEFM. Boy do I feel like a prize asshole now. Not only was the single a surprisingly brilliant slice of summer dreams, but turns out it was just the tip of the iceberg. The four-piece have released one of the best records of the year and possibly the most fun album of the decade. I am so excited to put this on repeat while I sip the frozen and colorful drinks I used to be too embarrassed to order in public.
It’s lazy to call L.A. Exes a new band. Sure, the self-proclaimed queertet are putting out their debut album, Get Some, but separately the members have built up quite the resume. Jenny Owen Youngs has already released multiple albums and EPs, solidifying herself at the top of the singer-songwriter game, while co-vocalist Sam Barbera has garnered quite a buzz in her electro-pop outfit Beginners. The four-piece is rounded out by Steph Barker (Baby Bulldog) and lead guitarist Rachel White, and despite the impressive pedigree, the synergy of L.A. Exes shines beyond any of the previous acts its members belonged to.
L.A. Exes is a brilliant blend of sun and fun, laced with sex positive lyrics and a dash of the uncomfortability of sand in your swim suit. These women seem to love to have fun with, and at the expense of their partners in the past, present and imagined.
Opener “Skinny Dipping” comes out of the gate with the precociousness of a Coppertone baby with a dirty mind. The harmonies sound sweet and sugary but those lyrics are anything but childlike. The song immediately gets your toes tapping in the sand before bopping straight ahead into the indie-pop gem, “Totally Worth It.” The bouncy slice of indie-pop heaven revolves around those beautiful moments where you do exactly what you know you shouldn’t do because it’s exactly what you need to do.
“West Keys” is a dreamy little ditty like one would expect from a lovelorn Elvis in Blue Hawaii, at least until the lyrics hit crash down around you and pull you in deeper with the dangerous riptide of a line “You’re so perfect/For someone else/But not me dear/So go fuck yourself.” While “Skinny Dipping” might be my favorite track on the album, “West Keys” is the best representation of the subtle beach blanket beatings these young women have perfected. “Get Some,” follows next, theatrically harmonious “oohs” bely the poetry revolving around the ease and familiarity of ex-sex.
The stole-your-girl confidence exuding from the hilarious “Baby, Lets Pretend ” is a subtle reminder that L.A. Exes just don’t give a fuck beyond having a good time. And it shows throughout the entire record. Even the cover of the super-sullen “Linger” (originally by The Cranberries) somehow borders on cheery with the beautifully overlapped harmonies.
I think the easy word to use to describe this record is “FUN”… but fun is really an absolute understatement… I just can’t think of a stronger word for the merry-making upon which this four-piece is putting to the digital version of wax. Get Some is the after-hours soundtrack to a suburban swinger pool party. The melodies and harmonies are calm and beautiful enough to not draw the attention of your neighbors but those lyrics will catch the ears and libidos of the intended attendees.
(For further information on the band and album, check out our interview with drummer Steph Barker here.)
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
