“Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.” This is probably what you hear in your head when you think of 90’s alternative band Crash Test Dummies. No one would blame you. The folk-tinged Canadian band become synonymous with the quirky song which launched them to worldwide stardom, but like so many other band’s, they never managed to score a second hit single and became another punchline for that period of music. The group never went away though. They released follow-up albums, and the various members also produced a number of solo projects over the years. Their most recent album, Ooh La La! came out just last year!
Much like you, I wasn’t aware either. Let’s all thank Spotify’s Weekly Discovery playlist for dropping the group’s latest single into my mix. “Promised Land”, written in collaboration with song-writer/producer Marc Mysterio, and featuring Jesus & Mary Chain bass guitarist Mark Crozer, finds the group back in gloriously weird form. Frontman Brad Robert’s haunting baritone is still there, calling “take me away, take me to the promised land now”, while atmospheric production gives the track a spacey feel. The drum track almost has a hip-hop feel, and when the auto-tuned verses kick in, you may almost feel you’re listening to Lil Wayne after too much happy juice.
There’s a lot going on in the song…but it works very well. Fun, catchy, and will grow on you like a hallucinogenic fungus. Check it out below:
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