Lucid Culture

More cool stuff in over the transom. On their debut vinyl single, San Francisco quartet the Pleasure Kills describes themselves as “pop for punks.” Well put. Smash Up the Radio takes a familiar Ramones-style tune, takes it down a notch volume-wise and puts it into the hands of someone who can actually sing, in this case Pleasure Kills frontwoman Lydiot. Suddenly it’s 1981 all over again.

The b-side (a b-side, don’t you just love it?), Over and Over is actually the big hit here, sounding a LOT like vintage Blondie with the organ way up in the mix but not cheesy at all. This is the kind of song that you find yourself singing on the way to the train while your brain is still in cringe mode from the 9-to-5 lying in wait. Awesomely catchy. Sounds like they had a lot of fun recording it, and could be a lot of fun live too. The songs are also available as individual downloads at the band’s myspace.