“The gypsies had no home, The Doors had no bass,” and Bonnie Doon has two, but don’t let that scare you, my friends. Let their sludgy, rumbling low-end sound liberate you. Free from the shackles of pretentious, overly serious post- punk, the Ottawa-based quartet delivers their irreverent blend of garage-rock and surf-pop without a safety net.
Dooner Nooner, their first album, is a hot mess of musical influences and ideas. “Haunted Life” opens proceedings with methodical droning guitars, heavy and haunting just as its title suggests, before“Pants and a Face” catches you in its blast radius. Bonnie Doon’s ferocious attack will melt your face, blow your pants off, and leave you wondering how in God’s name a song about going to the beach in a Honda CRV can scare the crap out of you the way “Sandy’s Song” does.
“Panty Twister” seals the deal for me. Not only is it the highlight of Dooner Nooner, but its spiralling sax, spunky groove, and saucy disposition is the perfect entry point for the Bonnie Doon neophyte: steal a car, get in and drive, east, play “Panty Twister” at full blast, and when it’s over, pull onto the side of the road and howl at the top of your lungs. Then you’re gonna be a Bonnie Doon fan for life.