January 27, 2009

Mod-A-Day: The Gymslips

Whisky makes you frisky/Gin makes you sin/Brandy makes you randy/and rum makes you ... ?

That's the catchy --and classic-- chorus from The Gymslip's Drink Problem, from their only LP release, 1983's Rockin' With The Renee's. After that release the band moved away from the harder edged post-punk sound they'd always had, and adopted a more new wavish, synthesized sound for the final couple of singles.

Not exactly sure what a Gymslip is, could be lots of things. One thing for sure is that's a good name for an all ladies quartet who considered themselves Rockin' Renees with a sound that embraced punk and power pop, and had a certain girlish agression that made them some of the earliest of the Riot Grrls. In addition to the very catchy chorus, Drink Problem has a drunken charm all its own that grows on you a little more with each listen. It's a fun track, and clever.


The Gymslips-- Drink Problem