The Dollyrots – Because I’m Awesome

Thanks to the band’s weird cover on Eat Your Heart Out, whenever I think of The Dollyrots I think of Happy Tree Friends. You know, those cute little furry creatures who play in playgrounds and around their town but ultimately end up being brutally slaughtered by the end of the episode? Maybe I wouldn’t make that connection if Eat Your Heart Out didn’t have that demonic bunny on the cover; but either way,Happy Tree Friends is a relatively good metaphor for The Dollyrots: sugary and sweet on the outside, but once you get into them you’ll see one decisively intense pop-punk band.

Released on Joan Jett‘s label, Black Heart Records, Because I’m Awesome is a high energy, incredibly catchy and abnormally fun album to listen to. The Dollyrots create a fast paced, pop-punk sound that is unlike most out there, mainly thanks to lead singer Kelly Odgen who gives the band a sort of bubble-gum pop feel but is able to put that image of innocence to work for them by switching it around and delivering the vocals with a mighty punch that would make Jett proud. On top of that, The Dollyrots don’t settle for just a radio-friendly pop-punk backdrop either. Instead the trio puts a rawer edge to their music, as everything from the clang of the cymbals to the snap of the hand claps are distinct and clear in the mix. Really, the only little hiccups on the album are when they slow it down with This Crush andNobody Wants U. For the rest of the album they keep it up at a high speed, which is one of the many charms of the band.

But best of all, they don’t take themselves too seriously; and that, in itself, pushes the band to the top of the pop-punk pile. Too many pop-punk bands try to be extremely serious, and, for the most part, they can’t convey the message properly. The Dollyrots don’t worry themselves with that as they sing songs like the sarcastically arrogant title-track, or the untold love story of My Best Friend’s Hot. Brand New Key is a song about rollerblading and biking, and who doesn’t like biking? 17‘s a nice love-song and even the more politically inspired Desperate S.O.S. is delivered in a more light hearted tone than most.

Basically, this album is amazing Fun, energetic, memorable and just damn good pop-punk. The only real downsides are A) the lyrics are almost impossible to read in the booklet and B) if you were like me and bought their EP, Love And Revolt, during one of their recent live shows then you would have already heard half of the songs on here. Other than that though, no complaints from me.