Dummy - Mandatory Enjoyment (2021) Hi-Res

There are musical discoveries that grab our attention from the first notes. We think in particular of Dummy (no link with the first album of Portishead) which comes to us from Los Angeles and which managed to make a name for itself with two emblematic EPs which aroused all our attention. Now is the time for confirmation with their long-awaited debut feature called Mandatory Enjoyment.

What caught our attention is quite simply their musical universe so catchy and playful. Their “drone-pop” as they like to call it will bring together psychedelic pop influences worthy of the 1960s, British noise-pop from the 1990s, spiritual jazz, Japanese New Age and Italian minimalism for our greatest happiness. Very quickly, Dummy embarks us on a bewitching and hypnotic journey with adventurous and inventive titles such as the immersive and energetic "Fissured Ceramics" as well as "Final Weapon" highlighting the bewitching voice of Emma Maatman (organ) of the most beautiful of manners.

Assisted by Joo-Joo Ashworth (as a reminder, member of Froth and brother of the lovely SASAMI) at the helm, Dummy left to get us drunk as it should. Between pleasant guitars worthy of Feelies from Joe Trainor and Nathan O'Dell and rhythms grazing the motorik, Mandatory Enjoyment will play the explosive card with "Punk Product # 4" and the floating with "Cloud Pleaser" while the audience digests each note and each melodic progression carefully. Alternately krautrock on "H.V.A.C. "Or psychedelic with" Tapestry Distorsion "and the vocal harmonies of the sunny" Daffodils ", this first disc is a sacred success which is reinforced by the psych-folk ascents of" Aluminum In Retrograde "and new-age of" Atonal Poem " ".

All in all, Mandatory Enjoyment is a hell of a nugget of psychedelic pop showing all the professionalism and inventiveness of Dummy picking up where Stereolab and others left off. The Californian group signs one of the great discs of this fall inciting to escape.