Calm Down Dad – Helen Love
Some times you just want a little bit of snark. And who can provide that better than British twenty-somethings raised on punk and bubblegum. This track lives in a strange place somewhere in between The Dead Milkmen, the Ramones, and Tullycraft.
And while it’s a bit of ironic fluff, you can’t help but think that for all its silliness, it captures things far more deeply than a ‘serious’ take might. And I just can’t get enough of the little bit of “White Riot” they drop at the end.
Apparently Helen Love have been around forever. After hearing this track I did some digging and found a fairly wide range of music – all circling around this punk/bubblegum core, but dipping into more straightforward rock, twee pop, disco, dance, etc. Considering how much I love this sort of stuff, I’m surprised I had never come across them before. Fortunately, there’s a ton of stuff on eMusic, so I can explore to my heart’s content.
(h/t to A Certain Romance)