The Quilz “Little Red Riding Hood” 2023. Prickly Records. Dream-pop new wave synth duo from Milwaukee. They will be debuting a new song this evening at Cactus Club but in the meantime I’m spinning their almost-most-recent release (they have a Christmas song from late ’23 but ’tis not the season for that). “Little Red Riding Hood” is their interpretation of the malevolent 1966 hit single by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. The Quilz version still has more than a touch of evil, but singer Becky Heck adds a sunny 60’s girl group vibe with her clear layered vocals. Side B is “Whole Wide World” (originally by legend Wreckless Eric, 1977): guitarist/bassist Sage Schwarm does a faithful and respectful rendition of the original while Becky’s vocals keep the rawness of the original, adding in an 80’s style femme vibe (it’s great!). I cannot find The Quilz’s version of “Whole Wide World” online so here’s a video for their 2022 song “Where Evil Grows” (the video shot in the park a block or so from our house; the song appears on The Quilz LP Beneath the Covers With the Quilz) originally by the Poppy Family (1971).