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Mar 03, 2016 Dum Dum Girls By Christopher Roberts

Dum Dum Girls frontwoman/main creative force Dee Dee Penny (sometimes just known as Dee Dee) recently announced a new solo project called Kristin Kontrol. Dee Dee’s real name is Kristin Welchez, hence the name of her new project. Now Kristin Kontrol has announced a debut album, X-Communicate, and shared its title track, which you can listen to below. The album is due out May 27 via Sub Pop (also Dum Dum Girls’ label).

Welchez explained in a press release why she’s shifted her attention to this new project: “For me as leader of Dum Dum Girls it felt very stoic and serious, and I am serious, but anyone who really knows me knows I’m silly, too; I smile a lot. As the years went on, it was so weird that I kept so much of me out of what I was doing creatively.”

She later added: “The first music I really identified as my own was very poppy, classic ‘80s, from Debbie Gibson and Tiffany to Janet Jackson and Madonna. I didn’t want to make a record with typical rock vocals.”

Welchez wrote 62 songs for the album, which were then edited down to 10.

Kurt Feldman (of Ice Choir and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) and Andrew Miller (who played guitar in the Dum Dum Girls’ last incarnation) produced the album, while previous Dum Dum Girls producer Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, The Go-Go’s) provided “sonic consultation.” Kristin Kontrol will be doing DJ sets at SXSW.

Dum Dum Girls’ excellent third album, Too True, was released in 2014. Read our 2014 interview with Welchez/Penny about that album.

X-Communicate Tracklist:

01 Show Me
02 White Street
03 (Don’t) Wannabe
04 X-Communicate
05 Skin Shed
06 Drive the Night
07 What is Love
08 Face 2 Face
09 Going Thru the Motions
10 Smoke Rings