Dummy – “Mono Retriever” & “Pepsi Vacuum”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, new age, 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.