Dummy – “Mono Retriever” & “Pepsi Vacuum”

The LA band Dummy put quite the variety of genre tags on the Bandcamp page for their 2021 debut album Mandatory Enjoyment: alternative, diy, electronic, new age, punk, ambient, indie rock, krautrock, noise pop, shoegaze. And you know what? All of them were accurate. The band somehow sounds like everything cool all at once — with the balance weighted slightly toward the likes of Stereolab, Broadcast, and My Bloody Valentine.

Mandatory Enjoyment came out on Trouble In Mind, but today Dummy are back with a digital 7″ for Sub Pop. A-side “Mono Retriever” chugs along with brisk motorik urgency, topped off by Euro-chic vocal melodies. B-side “Pepsi Vacuum” is dreamier, moving from shapeless reverie to beat-driven ’90s chill-out vibes. Dummy are not really a lyrics-first band, but according to the accompanying description, both songs are about the environment; the former takes aim at the greedy corporate forces destroying our planet, while the latter is a celebration of nature’s glory.

Check out both tracks below, and stick around for last year’s Mandatory Enjoyment while you’re at it.

“Mono Retriever” b/w “Pepsi Vacuum” is out now on Sub Pop.