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Tralala

By: Jessica Grose

The excited girls singing ’60s girl group pop in the Brooklyn-based band Tralala bring to mind the classic lady-power moment in any romantic comedy worth its salt: Four attractive women (in this case named Nicole Lang, Erin Marsz, Liane Moccia, and Stella Psaroudakis) in goofy patterned pajamas belting into various faux-microphones — a hairbrush, a carrot, a banana, and a remote control. And in true romantic comedy fashion, this gaggle of girls is singing all about what ails them: boys.

Most of the songs off Tralala’s debut self-titled full length use all four girls singing at once — there is no Diana Ross emerging from the fresh-faced Supremes here. The effect is of a very well organized pep rally, with simple rhymes (“Your time is my time and it’s cheap / We ain’t gonna get no sleep” from “Your Time is My Time”) and upbeat backgrounds. The only song where there is a solo Tra without the lalas is “No/Yeah,” which stands out, not only because of the difference in vocals, but also because it’s the highlight of the album. Singer Nicole Lang has a slightly grittier voice than the rest of the girls, vaguely reminiscent of rockabilly star Wanda Jackson’s distinctive wail.

Even though pretty much all the songs on Tralala are about lost love and thankless men, there are a few XY chromosomes in Tralala: Chris Talsness plays guitar, Marty Key plays bass, and Josh Madell plays percussion. The boys are easy to forget about at a live show, especially when all four girls have prize winning bangs framing their pretty faces (the Village Voice declared Tralala to have the “Best Bangs in a Local Band” earlier this year).

Tralala will play a one-off hometown show at New York City’s Knitting Factory on January 6, and even though it’s after Christmas, maybe Tralala will play a few ditties off their recent holiday-themed EP, the adorably titled, Falala-la-la with Tralala. Tralala is out now on Audika.

Tralala official site Audika Records