By Mike Faloon
The Mummies
“Just One More Dance” b/w “I Don’t Like It” 7”
Pre-B.S.
Like many people, I found that my early twenties were a great time to be a music fan. By that point, I’d learned a little about the pop and punk rock underground that I enjoyed so much, and I was more open minded than I’d been in high school. It was the early ‘90s and I was also getting into the world of zines and had a growing network of friends with similar tastes.
All of these factors led to lots of lists. Flying Nun bands like the Chills and the Clean that I wanted to hear. Popllama bands like the Young Fresh Fellows and Fastbacks and their infinite offshoots. Local New York bands like the Sea Monkeys and Iron Prostate. There was also the burgeoning budget rock scene (Mummies, Supercharger). Like I said, good times. But I was also wading through the world of part-time work and was usually broke, so the lists generally just got longer.
The Mummies are one of those bands I read about but I couldn’t afford to track down their countless singles and hard-to-find albums. It was years before I bought my first (and so far only) Mummies album (Play Their Own Records!). I have a good paying job now (thank you, collective bargaining!) but Mummies records have become collector’s items, so they remain elusive (temporary end of parenthetical clauses).
Enter the 2016 Burger Boogaloo festival in Oakland. This was a chance to see the Mummies play live and—surprise, surprise—they had a new single for sale, reasonably priced at five bucks. Yes, please!
Both of the songs have quickly become summer favorites. I’ve listened to them five times today alone, which has generated another list.
Reasons I recommend the new Mummies single:
- The Mummies have sealed the sleeve on all sides using “Budg-edge” technology. It needs to be cut in order to access the single. A little more work before the payoff.
- The Mummies have included plenty of gags on the sleeve. They’re better seen up close than described.
- The Mummies have included their mailing address: 30 Westline Dr., Daly City, CA 94015. I don’t know that I’ll write to them but I appreciate the sense of geography, being able to place them on my mental map.
- The Mummies claim that this single was only available at the Burger Boogaloo, though these songs will probably be available again sometime soon. I base my claim on this disclaimer on the back of the single: “This here record is exactly the same as this one (image of “Go Ass Crazy” single). If you have a problem with that don’t buy this record. We don’t care.” (Ralph Nader seal of approval.) They’ve released ‘em twice, why thrice?
- The Mummies rock; there’s substance here, too. Both tunes are ripe with high energy, big hooks, and low budget fidelity—cut from the same sweaty bandages as the band’s ‘90s output. Heck, maybe these are Clinton-era leftovers. I can’t say for sure. They’re new to me and they rip.
I look forward to my next Mummies purchase in 2026!
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