The Bubblegum Killers

After far too long of a hiatus, Welsh pop-punk goddesses Helen Love are back on the scene with a new EP. Some things have not changed at all, like the Joey Ramone fixation; the ultra-hooky tunes built on Ramones-like chord changes, soaring choruses, and bubblegum sticky melodies; and Helen Love's wonderfully laconic vocals. Some things have changed, though. Important things. Someone named Corrine now shares vocals with Helen Love, and while her punky, angry-ish tones would be fine in another band, she sounds out of place in Helen Love's pink and gooey world. Besides, she takes time away from Helen Love's vocals, and that is an unforgivable offense. The songs are uniformly excellent, though, ranging from the poignant punk ballad "Debbie's Joey" and the lovely love song "A Boy Like You" to the "New York Groove"-sampling "(The Continuing Adventures Of) The Girl About Town" and the chattering Sweet-sampling "Wigwambam," which continues Helen Love's flirtation with hardcore techno beats. While The Bubblegum Killers EP isn't classic Helen Love and the addition of Corrine is a problem, just good Helen Love is still better than most pop-punk, so we'll take it, y'know?