The Wimpy's - Do The Wimpy's Hop CD

Waterslide (2017, Reissue)

I feel like I've known the name of The Wimpy's for a really long time, but from what I can tell, I only have one compilation record that they appear on in my collection and nothing else.  That compilation was a tribute album to the band Bum and The Wimpy's contribution of "Why Go Out Of Your Way" (from the Bum split 7" with Fifi and the Mach III) also makes an appearance on this CD as one of seven bonus tracks.  It's really great.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  The main portion of this CD is a rerelease of the 2002 debut Wimpy's length album, Do The Wimpy's Hop.  This is an album that you can kind of judge a little bit by its cover.  I look at the cover artwork and I tend to think that this will be pop punk in the vein of the Ramones.  Putting on the album, I found that I was correct.  This is upbeat and catchy power pop punk that draws from the simple chord progressions of The Ramones and mixes them with Beach Boys style harmonies and backing vocals.

In some ways, I see similarities to the Hum Hums, but The Wimpy's have more of an older school 60s influence mixing with their Ramonescore tendencies.  There's a little bit of a garage feel that you can hear manifest as lead guitar riffs in the breaks and a general energy that keeps this album cruising along.

I'm shocked that this album is twenty three tracks long and has a one hour and eight minute duration.  It just flies by. Every song is so catchy that I can't help but think they must be an amazing live band.  The songs have that sort of energy where I imagine the band plays everything twice as fast live and everyone in attendance is dancing and singing along. Sounds like a show I would want to be at.

The Wimpy's - Do The Wimpy's Hop:
https://watersliderecords.bandcamp.com/album/do-the-wimpys-hop