When a band made up of four women names themselves Daddy Issues, you have to assume they know exactly what they’re doing. Put together in 2013 by singer/guitarists Lo Davy and Lindsey Sprague in the wake of some depressing breakups, the band seems to have been named after the kind of stupid accusations boys throw at girls when relationships are falling apart. Joined soon enough by bassist Madeleine Putney and drummer Hannah Hawkins, Daddy Issues evolved into the sort of surf-influenced guitar-pop band you’d imagine growing out of a jam session between Best Coast and Haim in the grip of a Shangri-Las obsession.
And lyrically, this quartet isn’t holding anything back (something you might have expected based on the name). Their upcoming four-song cassette, Double Loser, will be out next month, but right now, we’ve got a sneak preview for you with leadoff track “So Hard.” On this tune, Lo Davy breaks things down in a manner that leaves little to the imagination; “thinkin’ about my love dripping down your thighs” is one of the song’s first lines, and the chorus is centered around the repeated line “I get my baby so hard!” It seems difficult to believe that anyone would miss the borderline X-rated lyrical content here, but it honestly took me several listens to pick up on it, just because it’s delivered so sweetly. The jangly guitars and falsetto vocal melodies were so charming.
