Review: Suzi Moon – “Dumb & In Luv”

Pirates Press Records – 23 Sep 2022

The unsinkable Suzi Moon delivers her feel good, full length debut.

How many tricks does Suzi Moon have up her sleeve? Her first EP, Call the Shots (2021), was a sexy, gritty mix of proto-punk and S&M. Her second, Animal (2022), was a sexy, glossy mix of glam rock and vampire erotica. Over those first six songs she showed us the chops of Ted Nugent and the fabulousness of Cher. It was a rare combination wrapped up in a cute as hell package. The EPs definitely ramped up the excitement for her debut full length, Dumb & In Luv. Moon might be in love, but she is anything but dumb. 

While Dumb & In Luv has elements from both her previous EPs, it’s mostly straight up punk and roll with an undeniable pop sensibility. (There are a couple of exceptions, but we’ll get to that later.) I’m not really much for sports comparisons, but I think this deserves a baseball analogy. First Moon buckled our knees with an inside curve. Next she had us reaching for an outside slider. Then she struck us out with a fastball right down the middle. 

The title track starts off side A with plenty of catchy aggression, and is a highlight. The sentimental and sincere ode to her mother, “Family Memories”, is poppier and even catchier. “California” is like a pleasant breeze off the Pacific. “Money” has strong “Proud Mary” vibes and also contains my favorite line on the record. Who can’t relate to “I had a job and it made me want to die” ? “I Go Blind” is the torch song we really need in 2022. 

Side B is similar but dares to venture a little bit further off course. “Honey” oozes with sex appeal. “Any Other Way” has echoes of Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds”. “99 Miles to Pasadena” has the spirit of a rave-up that could have been on one of the Johnny Cash prison albums. “Believe in Luv” is the optimistic counterpart to “Dumb & in Luv”. Closer “Freedom” features a sparse snare beat and acoustic guitar. Truth be told, it’s closer to country than rock. It ends the record on an earnest and upbeat note.

*This paragraph is me editorializing. Read it at your own risk, or feel free to skip ahead.* In previous decades, when rock and roll ruled the charts and MTV was a starmaker, there’s no doubt in my mind that Suzi Moon would have been huge. She’s got a great look and sound, plus she’s an exceptionally charismatic performer. Alas, rock is not very commercially healthy at the moment. One can only hope that the kids will eventually forsake their foolish, face-tattooed, Soundcloud rapping ways and turn back to rock!

Ultimately, Dumb & In Luv is a great, punky rock and roll album. While Moon is clearly the star of the show, the whole band gets to shine on the record. (They’re also her live band, and a real band, not just hired guns.) The guitars are exceptional, and the rhythm section is as tight as a drum. It’s also a fun record. In an age where punk related music often feels unnecessarily humorless, it’s a breath of fresh air. Moon and crew don’t attempt to reinvent the wheel. They just put their various influences together in an undeniably appealing way. 

For vinyl fiends: This has the nice packaging that pretty much comes standard with Pirate’s Press Records releases. It has a printed inner sleeve with lyrics, and comes in limited quantities of black (750), neon pink (1000) and the already sold out pink with black splatter (250).