Thee Makeout Party’s ‘Play Pretend’: kids songs and reckless Nick Lowe riffs!

PHOTO by FEVER DRAGON

Anaheim’s Thee Makeout Party has an extensive history highlighted with shows at the OC Fair, the Smell, and, last weekend, a filled-twice-past-capacity speedboat parked outside Shoreline Village. Teenacide Records’ Play Pretend, their first full length, is rife with good vibes and is appropriately set to drop before the summer solstice. Play’s clean major chords, washy drums and shimmery guitar solos constitute a sincere aesthetic tribute to the Triffid’s Dungeon Tape, but more professional, and their ultra-basic clean production does them more good than any faux-budgetless “lo-fi” treatment. The layers of quiet “oooh’s” and the open chord-guitars on the verse in “Raspberries” hit territory last visited by the Gin Blossoms, which is fine! Not only that, but Play also scoops in on ‘70s Stiff Records pop—at one point they lift the organ line from Nick Lowe’s “No Reason” almost note for note—and includes an illuminating cover of “Birthday Suit,” a ‘60s cartoon song, which sounds worlds more innocent and playful coming from grown men than children. Finally, it’d be irresponsible not to mention the bonus track “Slack.” Bonus tracks are the only thing that make the CD format remotely viable—surprise supplemental music that sweetens almost any album. It’s all the more appreciated on Play because it completes the record: reverbed solos echo and a catchy almost-anthemic moment at the end before it dissolves into quiet applause. These songs are not bummer jams!

Tags: anaheim, play pretend, rockit boat, shoreline village, thee makeout party