Dum Dum Girls show off edgy pop sounds

The Dum Dum Girls are pretty smart.

Indie pop’s heading into retro turf, so the timing’s perfect for the Dum Dum Girls’ vintage blend of edgy rock. That’s why this all-girl band’s riding the next wave of stardom.

The girls have been busy opening shows for Vampire Weekend, Beach House and MGMT. Monday, the Dum Dum Girls show off their retro beats at the hi-dive.

Dee Dee Penny is the stage moniker for bandleader Kristin Gundred. The performer started off as a solo artist and added the rest of the group when she signed to Sub Pop.

“I’ve always been aware that I wanted to do music,” Gundred said. “It just took awhile to figure out how to do it on my own. I learned guitar and wrote songs — and the first record came before the band.

“When the opportunity came to work with Sub Pop, I knew I wanted to take advantage of it. It seemed obvious to put a band together.”

It took awhile for Gundred to find the right players, but the Dum Dum Girls are now a solid unit. As a show of unity, every girl sports a tattoo of the band name on one finger.

That’s dedication.

“This band has definitely been a learning process,” Gundred said. “In the end, we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band. Our songs are noisy with sonic washes, but now you can hear the words.”

The Dum Dum Girls used those tools to create their new EP, He Gets Me High. The record drops on March 1.

“I definitely put a lot of thought into these new songs and I wanted the right delivery,” Gundred said. “We worked with producer Richard Gottehrer (The Raveonettes), and he helped us stay true to our rock ‘n’ roll and punk sides.”

The Dum Dum Girls were psyched to tour with headliners Vampire Weekend, but the band feels more comfortable playing smaller clubs.

“It was a pretty interesting experience to tour with these larger bands,” Gundred said. “It was a huge tour, but for now we’d like to play intimate clubs. This is still so new.

“We love what we do and we put everything into our shows. There is a definite trend to look back to the ’60s.”

Chali 2na

Chali 2na does it all. He’s a talented hip-hop artist and an incredible painter.

Now Chali 2na’s hitting the road with an interesting combo of acts. Saturday, the rapper joins Public Enemy and Karl Denson for an Ogden Theater triple-play.

“I’m blessed to go on tour with this crew,” Chali 2na said. “Public Enemy is one of my favorite groups and I’m starting to get into Karl Denson.

“It will be pretty interesting to see the crowd this show attracts. There will be all kinds of listeners and I’m sure we’ll be jamming with each other.”

Chali 2na’s touring to promote his mixtape, Fish Market Part 2.

“This is an exclusive collection of songs that I wanted to release between albums,” Chali 2na said. “This mixtape is fun and there’s a little bit of everything on it. It’s get up and dance or driving music.

“My new album’s about the struggle between playing authentic sounds and using new technologies. I’ve been doing a lot of work with dubstep and a live band — it’s a trip going between the two worlds. This is music that will make you dance and think.”

Less Than Jake

Less Than Jake plays a powerhouse blend of ska, punk and rock.

The band was looking for new avenues to explore, so the ska-punksters took on the worlds of TV and commercials with their EP, TV.

Friday, Less Than Jake shows off its new tunes at the Summit Music Hall.

“We basically decided to have fun and put out a fun record,” sax player JR Wasilewski said. “This is a different kind of cover record. We never saw another EP that had TV themes and commercials.

“We have everything from the song from ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ to the ‘SpongBob SquarePants’ theme. We also do our own versions of a Pacman cereal ad and a Big Mac commercial. Everything’s familiar.”

Here’s the kicker — Less Than Jake crammed all this material into a 13-minute record.

“Anything can be played as a punk and ska song,” Wasilewski said. “We just switched things up and made these themes and commercials ours.”