Valkyrian Music

Doll Skin

Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Released 26th June 2017

Punk Rock/Alternative Rock

Released via EMP Group

‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ is the second album from the American, all-girl punk rock band Doll Skin. This is their third release to be produced by the Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, who has been working with them since 2013. The first was an EP entitled ‘in Your Face’ which came out in 2015, then last year their highly successful debut full length album’ In Your Face Again’ saw the light of day. My knowledge of punk rock is limited but the ironic-looking cover art and funny title was just too intriguing to resist.

The first thing that occurred to me when listening to the opening track Shut Up (You Miss Me) is that the vocals remind me of the Canadian rock artist Avril Lavigne. As far as the music goes, this is essentially alternative rock with some punk influences, mostly notably the pace, the attitude and the “fun” elements with songs titled like Road Killa and Puncha Nazi. Some of the tracks such as Daughter feature some angry, teenage angst -style lyrics, cleverly masked behind the catchy ‘rocking’ guitar and sing-along chorus. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it does reflect the fact that they are a young band, full of energy and ready to conquer the world with their rock tunes.

As the album progresses you get a bit more variety, ranging from the aforementioned catchy, energetic punk rock to the slower, more ballad-like songs such as Rubi and Sweet Pea which reflect Doll Skin’s softer, more melodic side. No anger here; instead there is a certain innocence in the vocals. Miss Dolezal is a clearly a talented singer and her lyrics are packed with emotion.

In summary, however angry the lyrics may seem at times, there is something uplifting about this album. These girls clearly enjoy what they do and they are very good at it. So all I can say is, good work and rock on Doll Skin!

4/5

Iza Raittila

This entry was posted on 15th June 2017 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.