Love Wars Baby

The District Attorneys’ frontman/songwriter Drew Beskin knew he didn’t want his band to play songs that spoke of the pain of a bad breakup, but the tunes were certainly good enough for someone to play them. A Valentine’s Day gig in 2013 in the DAs' hometown of Athens, Ga., proved difficult for the entire group to attend—so Beskin asked Tedo Stone and Jeremy Wheatley of Crooked Fingers if they’d like to work with those available. Party Dolls were born. The chemistry was obvious from the first note, and whenever they had time after that gig, they’d convene at bassist/engineer Frank Keith’s home studio and lay down tracks. Whether it’s the no punch-pulled truth of “I’m Not the One You Love” or the full-band charge of “Indigo,” the album is more than just a souvenir of a bad turn in Beskin’s romantic life. It's an emotionally charged song cycle, where a tune like “Vampire” recalls the spirit of Alex Chilton at the time of Big Star’s 3rd, but with a brighter constitution.