Smilin’ at Dressy Bessy’s sugary bounce
My mother cans things: Tomatoes, salsa, peaches – it doesn’t matter. Her food-saving habits remind me a lot of Dressy Bessy. A few spins through one of this Denver band’s albums are enough to convince anyone that they are bottlers too. They can a little something called sunshine.
Few bands can sustain the sheer level of saccharine joy that Dressy Bessy can produce. Theirs is unabashed pop at its best, completely unconcerned with politics, religion, and anything having to do with Bob Dylan. Centering around Tammy Ealom’s immaculate songwriting, the band has perfected their lo-fi, no frills pop bounce.
Initially signed to the now defunct Kindercore Records, the band moved to newcomer Transdreamer Records for their latest release, Electrified. Its three-chord euphoria hearkens back to K pop pioneers Talulah Gosh, and signals Dressy Bessy’s having fully adopted a power-pop sound with more fizz and bang than your favorite bag of Pop Rocks.
But I’m not the only person who loves this band. Dressy Bessy was recently reviewed next to Coldplay by NPR music critic Ken Tucker, who asked the question, “Who with a healthy heartbeat wouldn’t much rather listen to [Dressy Bessy?]” That’s a good question, Ken.
Some of Dressy Bessy’s appeal comes from their complete lack of pretentiousness. They aren’t trying to prove a point and, so far as I can tell, they aren’t looking to change the world. Having adopted into the band Ealom’s boyfriend and Apples in Stereo guitarist John Hill, the band has plenty of collective experience in creating brilliant pop music that will have you dancing in the car, on the way to class and at home while you’re supposed to be studying.
Dressy Bessy’s four LPs may well be the only sure cure for the wintertime blues, so don’t waste any time picking one up. It may not change the world, but it just might change your month.
Zach Pendleton column “The Best You’ve Never Heard,” appears weekly. Comments and questions can be sent to
zachpendleton@cc.usu.edu