Horrible/Adorable (photo by Melissa Dale)

Oakland-based Horrible/Adorable first came onto my radar when they self-released their EP Amy Understands, which is chock full of lo-fi bubblegum pop gems with über-clever titles and lyrics, like the breakup song titled “He Didn’t Even Like Broccoli.” They’re the kinds of songs that make your twee heart full of joy while giving you a craving for something sweet, which is why their genre moniker “creamsicle dreamsoda poprockz bubblegrunge” makes so much sense.

The duo, comprised of Kiki on guitar & vocals and CK on drums & vocals, hasn’t released any new material since that EP (which clocks in at just about 10 minutes) and changing from trio to duo, but in the spirit of the season, they put out a video of them covering Yo La Tengo’s “Autumn Sweater,” from the 1997 record I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One.

“We have a YouYube, duh!” they announced to the world in accompaniment with the video. It features them in their wonderfully decorated practice space, and though the audio is a bit lo-fi to the point of being fuzzed out at times, the charm of their cover shines through as the song builds to a steady climax. Kiki’s vocals are sweet and unwavering, rife with emotion, and the feeling grows especially at the blissful grunged-out musical interlude at 1:57. It’a quite a treat to see a song that was originally so quiet get the noisy treatment. You can check out the video below.

They do play shows here pretty often (after all, they are from Oakland), but you can specifically catch them at their next show at the Legionnaire Saloon opening for the Dream Bitches! You can find out more information below.

Dream Bitches (Reunion Show!), Horrible/Adorable, Lester & the Hoax, Space Toilet
The Legionnaire Saloon
October 10, 2015
9pm, $7 (21+)