The Pop Corporation

Quite why Tchotchke aren’t fantastically well-known is beyond us. Sure, they’re not obsessively modern in their sound, but there’s other bands who look back to the ’60s and ’70s who have a platform that the greatest current girl group on the planet should also have.

With each release, we’ve seen Anastasia Sanchez, Eva Chambers and Emily Tooraen not only grow in confidence, but also, in quality. If 2022’s eponymous LP was in our all-timer list, then it wouldn’t be unreasonable to worry about Tchotchke following it up, even if we were sure they had it in them.

Now, 2025’s ‘Playin’ Dumb’ has arrived after a string of dynamite singles, and here we are, absolutely looking at one of the best LPs of the year.

While a lot of groups who look toward the ’60s tend to mine the same influences with varying degrees of success, what makes Tchotchke so beguiling is where they take their influence from. Sure, there’s enough beat-group action to keep the Power Pop fans happy, but in addition to that is something more ambitious than the three-chord trick employed by the garage gangs and mop tops.

The sophistication of the Brill Building wrapped up in sugary sweet sunshine pop sees you thinking about those great songs from outfits like Sagittarius, The Left Banke, The Cookies, and the most honest channelling of ‘Pet Sounds’ era Beach Boys we’ve heard in ages. It’s baroque, it’s sophisticated, and sometimes you might forget how clever it is because it’s being delivered in such an irresistibly catchy way.

In ‘Davide’, we’ve got the toytown symphony of Brian at his best, in a something that’s deceptively complex and grown-up, but so immediate and accessible.

The melancholy lies in the melody, while we’re twirled around to tales of two-timin’ boys and bad haircuts when the protagonist “showed ’em Brigitte Bardot” but they “gave her Monroe.” They”re no pushovers though, because there’s enough street-smarts to remind you of one of the greatest groups of all – The Shangri-Las. In fact, there’s countless moments on the LP where you find yourself wishing Joey Ramone was alive, because he’d love Tchotchke, and he’d probably be doing bug-eyed cover version of ‘Skipping Around’ by now.

What’s so impressive is just how this album is a big step forward for a group that were already massively talented. Now, alongside the beat-pop, you’ve got Nilsson and even ’70s glitter pop thrown into the mix.

Importantly, it is overflowing with personality – none of what you hear sounds phoney or an affectation – there’s a genuinely love and understanding of the source material, with life and enthusiasm breathed into it, with the resultant work bursting out of your speakers in a love letter to all things psychedelic pop.

It’s witty, it’s a little mean and cynical, it’s everything you want your pop music to be. The harmonies are as good as any touring group on the planet, and the ‘poor’ girls in question are cast as anything but.

The songs are short and bittersweet, and this is going to be on constant rotation for anyone with a self-respecting record collection. In ‘Playin’ Dumb’, you have an album that’s only going to get better on further listens, as the music reveals itself further. This is a sensational record and Tchotchke are one of the best groups on the planet right now.

Utterly essential.