Novelty singles get old fast, and the artists behind them tend to fare similarly. Chumbawamba have aged like mayonnaise, Right Said Fred are most likely selling insurance by now, and last year’s semi-singing sensation Kelly (“Those Shoes are Mine, Betch!”) is about six months from trading her electroclash revival act in for a full-time job frying meat at Burger King.
It’s a little weird, then, that five years after New York nightlife impresario Jonny McGovern (better known as the Gay Pimp to his fans) blanketed gay bars across North America with “Soccer Practice”–a single-entendre-filled musical exploration of the erotic possibilities inherent in the men’s locker room–he’s managed to release Gays Gone Wild, a follow-up album which is not only equally raunchy, but also surprisingly listenable. The album’s twelve tracks, produced by fellow New Yorker, Adam Joseph (“Flow With My Soul,” “Faggoty Attention”), are a fresh blend of skittering electronic beats, crunchy synthesized bass loops, and gospel-influenced backing vocals. McGovern’s sound is much fuller, more energetic, and more upbeat than the booming, minimalist percussion of the current Top 40 singles he both aspires to and satirizes.
Gays Gone Wild, of course, is not for everyone. The album, although tongue-in-cheek, is entirely about gay sex and getting drunk with go-go boys. Even people who are okay with queer culture might not be entirely comfortable listening to songs like “Girl, I Fucked Yo’ Boyfriend” or “Dick Swang Out!” but for those who enjoy hearing about naked dudes, Gays Gone Wild is twelve tracks of dirty gay fun. The album’s first single, “Somethin’ for the Fellas (That Like the Fellas),” has been on the top spot on the Logo Network’s Click List for the past two months straight for a reason: underneath the sequins and raunch, Johnny McGovern has the talent to be more than just a one-hit wonder.