By Tayla Ham - Originally written August 1st 2024
When Melbourne-based best friends were let loose to make a debut album, Don’t Thank Me, Spank Me! (DTMSM!) created a record to speak to the duo’s experience moving through the world as women.
DTMSM! has a unique sound that even the duo, Nitida Atkinson and Esther Henderson, sometimes struggle to describe. However, many songs on this record have a feminine, garage-pop vibe, whereas others lean more into an almost 80’s new wave sound.
Sandy, the first single off the record, is an obvious ode to Sandy from Grease. The archetypal good-girl gone bad is a good way to describe the sound of the track and the record. As there appears to be a heavy pop inspiration, yet their own unique garage-type spin on the music, this providing Sandy an experimental vibe. Also, there is a lot going on instumentally, yet, it still feels smooth and uncomplicated.
Inspiration from musical theatre and pop culture is a regular source of the quirkiness and referential lyrics that DTMSM! has throughout their record. One of these is from Sandy: “Sandy, Sandra Dee, You're giving me chills that electrify me,” obviously referring to the iconic lines from You’re The One That I Want.
This reference to iconic musical theatre can also be heard in Spunkrat. The hook, “Matchmaker, matchmaker, find me a hottie,” refers to Matchmaker from Fiddler on The Roof, both in the lyrics and the melody used. The repetitive use of the hook makes this an absolute earworm, and you’ll find yourself singing over and over again.
Cover is a change of pace to the rest of the record, with a much more of a slow ballad feel than the other songs' fast pop sound. Additionally, the more acoustic sound of the guitar and bass highlights Atkinson and Henderson’s talent, plus, the soft vocals feel more vulnerable than other songs on the record.
Bringing a great beat to groove to and a more R&B fusion sound, than the rest of the record, Habitual, is the first song the duo ever released. It is also included in the second half of this debut album. Both voices can be heard singing throughout, which once again provides DTMSM’s unique vocal sound, which is consistent throughout the record. The repetition of, “I did it, but I didn't mean to do it, it was habitual,” and the repetitive bass line make it a super easy listen.
Once again, during Habitual, DTMSM smoothly mixed in an iconic reference from ABBA’s Fernando, repeatedly using the lines, “There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando,” throughout the song's final verse.
DTMSM’s debut album is an easy listen overall. Its brilliant lyricism seamlessly blends pop-culture references and the duo’s Australian-isms. The duo’s unique vocal sound overarches the entire record, enabling them to showcase many different styles of music while still feeling like these songs all belong together.
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