Album Review: Spazzys - Dumb Is Forever

As difficult as it is to believe, Dumb Is Forever is only The Spazzys' second album. Having been playing together for over a decade, the release of this sophomore record was severely delayed by some pretty serious legal issues surrounding its release.

Recorded shortly after the trio's debut album Aloha! Go Bananas saw them leap onto the national scene, the band had to put the finishing touches – and subsequent release – of Dumb Is Forever on ice while a lengthy lawsuit ensued. Finally, the LP is on the shelves, and it's unsurprising that the style and content of the record is quite similar to Aloha!.

Alongside bands like Nitocris, the all-girl pop-punk scene was burgeoning in the early- to mid-'00s, and The Spazzys were at the top of the pile. The Ramones were a clear influence on the band then, and still are, musically and otherwise (the band members are named Kat Spazzy, Ally Spazzy and Lucy Spazzy, reminiscent of the shared surname of The Ramones), although there is a slight shift towards a poppier delivery compared to the brash punk sensibility they were then known for. It never feels forced or saccharine-sweet, but don't be surprised to hear the harmonies like those on Dissolution (Is The Only Solution) on the next season of your favourite family television drama.

Dumb Is Forever is fun and frivolous, and represents a flashback to another time. A time of Mach Pelican and Dallas Crane, of Ground Components and Gerling. And The Spazzys, kicking it with the boys and holding their own. The musical landscape may have changed, but with Dumb Is Forever, The Spazzys are happy doing their thing.