Whiplash Splash is an assertive doubling down on the power pop hooks and punk rock flair issued by California duo The Dollyrots. Tracking much of the raw performances of this 6th studio effort themselves, the band once again enlists Producer John Fields to add polish to Kelly Ogden’s vocals and craft a radio-ready mix. The resulting 13 songs exude authenticity and shift between breakneck tempo changes (“Babbling Idiot”), extreme loud/soft dynamics (“Mermaid”) and bubblegummy melodic three-chord punk (“I Do”).
Recorded during singer/bassist Ogden’s pregnancy with her and guitarist Luis Cabezas’ second child, Whiplash Splash is The Dollyrots’ first studio LP since 2014’s Barefoot and Pregnant and follows two Top 20 peaks on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart. Standout tracks include guest vocals by Kay Hanley of Letters to Cleo (“Just Because I’m Blonde”), Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup (“Other Trucker”), and a modernized buzzsaw-guitar cover of Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking On Sunshine”. As a whole, the record fits sonically between any modern pop-punk and guitar goddess rock & roll… with a hint of Ronnie Spector.
