Kevin Bronson on December 1st, 2014

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It’s intriguing that the L.A.-based trio Lady Low chose to debut with a cover of a 37-year-old song, “Baby Baby” by U.K. first-wave punkers the Vibrators. It’s impressive that Lady Low completely owns it, subtracting the original’s restrained snarl and Spector-izing it with lush boy/girl vocals and strings. Taking a song from 1977 and transporting it to 1962? Genius. Lady Low call their music “romance rock,” and it’s the work of Jimmy Sweet, formerly of the Bay Area’s Richmond Sluts and an ex-touring member of Hot Hot Heat, Samy Jo and Danie Espinoza (of Welfair). “Baby Baby” (out last week), produced by Jon Moon (who has engineered recordings by the likes of Amy Winehouse and the Kooks), comes with an equally pretty B-side, the original “When I Do Wrong,” again lushly produced and anchored by Sweet’s baritone and his female foils.

||| Stream: “Baby Baby” and “When I Do Wrong”