I like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. a lot.  They’re in the business of making joyous pop music, and they’re really good at it.  Taking a cue from their choice of a goofy band name, the songs embody a carefree attitude and never take themselves too seriously.  The tunes have memorable sunshine drenched melodies, cool drum programming, and funky guitar lines.  The result comes off as easily listenable and highly enjoyable, and like I said, I LIKE IT ALOT.

“Simple Girl” touches on the eclectic hybrid that they specialize in, starting with a simple guitar riff and eventually letting the song be overtaken by some really cool singing and layered electronic touches.  They show appreciation for the aforementioned sunshine pop influence in a big way with a rad cover of The Beach Boys “God Only Knows”, which they pull off with ease.  It’s indebted to the original but still turns out as one of their own, placing their indelible stamp on the song.

It seems like there is an influx of live/electronic based duo’s out there these days, but I think most of them actually tend to have an individual identity and sound.  Using the same building blocks doesn’t mean that what you create will sound monotonous, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is a prime example of getting away without mimicking another group’s sound.

Having just played some SXSW gigs, they released a new tune this past week that continues in the tradition of what they’ve started; solid pop tunes.  Check out their Morning Becomes Eclectic set below.