The Hot Toddies

The Hot Toddies are the best thing happening in Oakland, CA, especially since the Raiders are in such shambles. But even if the Raiders were playing in the SuperBowl, The Hot Toddies would still be O-town’s hottest band. On the band’s debut album, Smell The Mitten, they mix everything you love about the Wall of Sound, garage rock, Japanese pop, and power pop into one uniformed sound that is as funny and clever as it is rocking. The title itself is a witty reference to the legendary Spinal...

...it is the tension of sweet and sassy woven consistently throughout the album that ultimately makes Smell the Mitten such a cozy fit.

You'd have to be a big lump of granite to not crack at least one smile and let yourself go all the way with smelling these sugary-ass mittens.

The Hot Toddies come complete with tight harmonies and unapologetic “shooby-doo-wops,” welcoming the obvious comparison to sixties female vocal groups. At the same time, they’re playing their own instruments and the lyrical content is not drenched in nostalgia. Instead, the quartet sings about the disappointment of teenage internet dating and missing your boyfriend when you’re in Seattle because, well, you’d like to “ride him like a horse without a saddle.” “Seattle” is my...

With the advent of the Pipettes, El Perro Del Mar, and even Amy Winehouse to a certain extent, the girl group sound has returned to the indie arena. Suddenly, there are multi-part harmonies, love-obsessed lyrics, echo-y orchestral production, and girls girls girls everywhere. Several Bay Area girl-group acts have also sprung up recently. But typical of the Bay, these bands — especially Dreamdate and the Hot Toddies — offer a rougher, rowdier take on the vintage sound, adding riot grrl grit...