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The second Album from this Minneapolis trio -- a strikingly-hyper-punk-rock-conundrum. Seriously, Citric Dummies have a LOT to say on this LP, be it worthwhile advice or not, but it's all done with an excellent tongue-in-cheek bravado. Oh yeah, the music - it's a trebly, garage-leaning mess that seems to catapult between backing the obnoxious dual-vocal assault and ramping up the speed towards a proto-hardcore feel at times.
Strangely enough, it's taken this long for a band to remind me of Henry Fiat's Open Sore (check those mad Swedes out for extra credit if you haven't!) but between the snappy arrangements and lyrical genius, Citric Dummies may very well win an endearing spot in yer collection. I get the same kinda dumb, personable feeling while listening to this as say...Angry Samoans. Real music for the proles, eh? The Dummies receive bonus points for their highly apt usage of parentheses in song titles and stunning full color artwork from Nathan Ward.
Out of the ashes of Brain Tumors comes the Dummies, the Citric ones. Brain Tumors was pretty good, but man... Citric Dummies are way, way better. I really have no idea how to describe their sound... I mean it's definitely hardcore, but it has these really distinctive vocals that are kinda-sorta melodic most of the time, but often erupt into these big sing-song choruses that really don't sound like much of anything I've ever heard.
Jerky punk guitar driven calamitous tunes with hyper yet clear and tuneful vocals hurling toilet lyrics and an attitude that is also of-the-toilet. Its an album! An album whose grooves are densely packed with the sounds of angry nerds propelling their rotten attitudes down deep into the basement. The punk basement.
ATTENTION! This does not sound like Devo or Sheer Mag. Buy and fry.
Our take: Latest 12” from this unique punk band from Minneapolis and it is a full-on scorcher. When Citric Dummies released their first demo tape the main thing that stuck out about them was the strangely haunting, baritone vocals, but they’ve moved away from that vocal sound on subsequent releases. Usually I think it’s a shame when a band drops a trademark part of their sound, but these songs are so damn great that I’m not worried about it in the slightest, particularly since so many of the other aspects of sound have gotten even better. Musically, Citric Dummies remind me a lot of Rip Off Records bands like the Rip Offs or the Zodiac Killers, i.e. bands who combined the catchiness of ’77 punk with the energy, speed, and precision of hardcore… they also remind me quite a bit of Golden Shower of Hits-era Circle Jerks in places as well (not least in their lyrical fixation on scatalogical imagery). In other words, they’re the kind of band that could probably get a respectable pit going at either Goner Fest or Damaged City. The style here is pretty straightforward, so the real question is, “does it rip or not?,” and I am here to tell you that it fucking rips. Highly recommended if you like punk.