Electrocute

Delicious Berlin brats Electrocute’s debut album ‘Troublesome Bubblegum’ (Emperor Norton/Rykodisc) see’s this dynamic duo Nicole Morier and Holly Day delivering a freakishly good set of sonic candy, a twisted assortment of swaggering garage-punk guitars, saucy, raunchy girl-group vocals anchored with massive sleazy dance beats.

This is girls on the run, stripped down rock’n’roll made on whatever machines or weird electronics the duo dug up in their cramped studio; the Gummi Zelle (or Rubber Room to those unfamiliar with Germanic dialect), all brought together with a barrage of edgy guitar riffs, sassy lyrics brimming with sarcastic wit, and further compacted with a catchy charm, that will delight the pop-hook slut in everyone.

Electrocute have forged an album that seamlessly flows between musical styles without ever sounding derivative. They dip their immaculately painted toes into a wide variety of genres such as, 60’s girl groups, garage rock, punk, rockabilly, German new wave, and even rap…Despite this experimentation, there is more originality to the Electrocute sound, proving they’re much more than musical magpies (although they do share a similar predilection for shiny things.)

Well, Electrocute are not “bubblegum” per se; They do however identify with some characteristics of the 60’s bubblegum genre; pop smarts, garage rock associations, lyrical excess and an understanding of the excitement generated by three chords and an attitude. And don’t be fooled because they’re cute girls either, they’re clever too. They wrote every song and co-produced their tracks with Mickey Petralia (Ladytron, Beck,) to give their cranky tunes a perfect mix for the car stereo and juice for the dance floor. Bubblegum music is full of provocations and contradictions…Which brings us to the ‘troublesome’ part…the darker side of pink. It was this dark side of their worlds that probably led them to choose their band name; Electrocute - a word which sounds sweet, but of course taken at its true meaning, to kill using electricity, is not so cute anymore.

Their infamous live shows are hedonistic debacles proving that these two aren’t necessarily the nice girls you want to take home to meet mom (although daddies of the world would unite in welcoming them in). Electrocute have toured throughout Europe and the U.S. as well as playing support on Peaches’ North American tour. Somewhere along the line they rocked the Winter Music Conference, and SXSW will never be the same again.

On ‘Troublesome Bubblegum’ songs like ‘Blow It’ which is dripping with sexual innuendo to the more blatant ‘Venus Fly Trap’ about their sadomasochistic fantasies are executed with confident naughtiness. Whilst their true punk deviance is unmasked in more anarchistic-in cheek songs like ‘Cops Copulating’ and ‘Car Bomb Derby’. That’s not all a few surprises also await the listener, such as a haunting ballad about death in ‘Goodbye Johnny’ and ‘Shag Ball’ with its inventive lyricism and almost sci-fi synthesizer breakdown.

Innovative and original ‘Troublesome Bubblegum’ is sure to challenge the repetitive world of garage rock as well as bring a fresh raw soul back to the mega produced land of pop...

So for those about to rock here’s a brief history:

The original line up of Electrocute Nicole Morier and Mia Dime started with humble beginnings three years ago in Berlin at an art opening for her friend Françoise Cactus (Stereo Total).

They did a cover by 60’s group Nino Tempo, April Stevens ‘Teach Me Tiger’ and a song by early 80’s rap group Sexual Harassment called ‘I Need a Freak’, exposing their diverse and eclectic music tastes from the very start. The two had very little time, but worked diligently over 4 days with Mia shouting some rhymes over Nicole's instrumentals, songs that would eventually become ‘I Love my Daddy’ And ‘Sugar Buzz’ on their debut EP “A Tribute to Your Taste” (released last year on Emperor Norton to widespread critical acclaim, shock and awe style). Dressed in prom dresses and wigs, their equipment consisting only of maracas, a Fender Mustang guitar, and a CD player, they magically had the entire gallery rockin’ out by the end of their 30 minute set (‘Sugar Buzz’ was then a ten minute psychedelic excess.) The show had everyone reeling and the two knew that destiny had called upon them. Electrocute was born…

Who Are Electrocute?

Nicole Morier was born the year Elvis died. Raised in the rattle snake pits off old Route 666 near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her dad was a beatnik cowboy guitar player and had written songs in the sixties for bubble gum bands like the Cowsills, Spanky and Our Gang, and Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs. They’d sing cross-country in truck stops and churches. So began her musical career. Nicole’s hot pursuit of fresh music and eccentric characters found her drawn to the hotbed Berlin musical underground.

Holly Day was raised in eastern Tennessee very near the home town of Dolly Parton