After far too long of a hiatus, Welsh pop-punk goddesses
Helen Love are back on the scene with a new EP. Some things have not changed at all, like the
Joey Ramone fixation; the ultra-hooky tunes built on
Ramones-like chord changes, soaring choruses, and bubblegum sticky melodies; and
Helen Love's wonderfully laconic vocals. Some things have changed, though. Important things. Someone named Corrine now shares vocals with
Helen Love, and while her punky, angry-ish tones would be fine in another band, she sounds out of place in
Helen Love's pink and gooey world. Besides, she takes time away from
Helen Love's vocals, and that is an unforgivable offense. The songs are uniformly excellent, though, ranging from the poignant punk ballad "Debbie's Joey" and the lovely love song "A Boy Like You" to the "New York Groove"-sampling "(The Continuing Adventures Of) The Girl About Town" and the chattering
Sweet-sampling "Wigwambam," which continues
Helen Love's flirtation with hardcore techno beats. While
The Bubblegum Killers EP isn't classic
Helen Love and the addition of Corrine is a problem, just good
Helen Love is still better than most pop-punk, so we'll take it, y'know? ~ Dash Weatherby