This Is Our Jam: Dum Dum Girls, “Bedroom Eyes”

Like Jeffrey Ross Hyman, Glenn Allen Anzalone, and David Robert Jones, Kristen Gundred performs under a stage name. And like Joey Ramone, Glenn Danzig, and David Bowie, Dee Dee’s nom de guerre isn’t really an act -- just a stronger, sexier, more powerful version of herself. With “Bedroom Eyes,” Dee Dee and her Dum Dum Girls take the increased fidelity of “He Gets Me High” and run with it, tightening their sound and taking it the next logical step; The band's surfed-out rhythms, Spaghetti Western guitar licks, and Dee Dee’s now full-on diva voice sound capable of anything. “Bedroom Eyes” is the work of a band wholly removed from the California lo-fi of their beginnings, creating the sort of deft pop that either comes easily for a band or never comes at all. When Dee Dee sings “I need your bedroom eyes,” it’s like some punk-rock Dolly Parton is laying her life on the line. With "Bedroom Eyes" it's now clear that Dee Dee's here to stay, while Gundred may be destined to join Anzalone and Jones in the footnotes of rock-nerd trivia.