Although initially started as a solo recording project, the renowned indie rock at Dum Dum Girls had been led for the better part of a decade and through a critically applauded EP and three full-length albums by its creative mastermind, primary songwriter and frontperson Kristin Welchez, best known by her stage name Dee Dee. Welchez’s latest solo recording project Kristin Kontrol not only finds Welchez shedding her previous persona and performing and writing under her real name; the project also is a decided change of sonic direction from Dum Dum Girls, as she ditches the guitars and moody post-punk with a slickly produced New Wave and contemporary electro pop sound of her latest effort, X-Communicate which was released to great fanfare earlier this year.
Interestingly, her latest single “Baby Are You In?” was initially recorded during the X-Communicate sessions and was left off the album. As Welchez explains “I really regret not including it on the album. It was super fun to make — Kurt Feldman and I left loose on the production, trying to pin down that nebulous aggression from Evil Heat-era Primal Scream but it let it cork off the party at the end. ” And although it was previously unreleased until recently, the single has become a staple of Welchez’s live sets. After listening to it a few times before writing this, I can see why — Welchez’s gossamer yet sultry vocals are paired with a slick production featuring layers of undulating synths, ominously swirling electronics and industrial clang and clatter with an enormous, dance floor-friendly hook. And while danceable, the song does retain Welchez’s introspective and deeply personal lyrics.