I finally got my hands on a copy of Scandal’s new “Doll” single. To be honest, it’s a bit disappointing — “Doll” and b-side “S.L. Magic” just aren’t as memorable as the tracks off their earlier EP, Yah! Yah! Yah! Hello Scandal. It’s not that the songs are bad, mind you. Most of the elements that made their debut EP so great are here — the big riffs, the energetic playing, the close harmony vocals. But the hooks aren’t quite as strong, and so the songs don’t stick in memory much after listening.
“Doll” is a pounding, mid-tempo rocker. Heavier than anything on the EP, the riffs are chunky and the verses suitably sassy, but the chorus, despite kicking in at double-speed, just doesn’t insert itself into your brain the way it should. “S.L. Magic” suffers from a similar problem — despite a brisk punky tempo, some crunchy guitar chords, and a chorus that’s fun to sing along to, it just isn’t very memorable.
That said, I still like this band a lot, and am looking forward to hearing more from them.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention, both songs are now streaming on Scandal’s MySpace page.
