Here's a review of Convertible Girls, direct from a Spanish webzine. We have absolutely no clue what this says. From www.egurenzone.com:

Be My Doppelganger es una banda de Illinois que practica un acelerado punk pop a la inglesa mezclado con una buena dosis de powerpop y una pizca de rock.
El verano del año pasado sacaron este EP de tres canciones con Bitchin' Riffage Records, que ya les había sacado un LP. En la cara A tenemos la canción que da título al disco, Convertible girls, un verdadero himno de pop guitarrero que a mi me recuerda a los Smugglers pero algo más cañeros. Un 10 en los coros. La cara B la abre Ten seconds to go, bastante más rockera... suenan un poco cabreados, pero mola. Cierra el disco No AC, muy del estilo de la cara A pero todavía más acelerado. Estos tíos enganchan.

Richard's review of the new Be My Doppelganger/Conniption Fitts split 7"
(Bitchin' Riffage/Let's Pretend)

I've been awaiting a new release for a fair few months now. It's weird, because I've also been dreading its arrival. The usual pattern with bands is for every flawless record, there's going to be two after which just don't meet the same high standard. Think of how much better My Brain Hurts was than Wiggle, think New Day Rising then of Flip Your Wig. The sheer brilliance of last summer's Convertible Girls was cause for concern. I tell ya, if the band is aware of their own musical achievements last year, they must be as relieved as I am with the following result as I am.
  The two new classics I'll be busy salivating over until next time round are "Throw A Party" and "Carbondale Babe City", both showing hope that Be My Doppelganger's potent song-churning days are far from over. Their work is surely not finished and it's great to hear the formula I know and love without tiring of it. It's also brilliant to hear how a band is able to retain their new wave punk charm, ala Stiv Bators or Violent Femmes, whilst all the while getting away with flaunting their more poignant heavy metal influences. The most catchiest of hooks could easily have been taken from early Blue Oyster Cult material, as the sound of New York pounds through these tunes with a pride you'll rarely find in the seemingly non-rocking era we live in. It's extraordinary, and trust me when I tell you, it works like a charm. The more mainstream of the current (so-called) alternative should really be taking notes. I have friends who are not at all into punk rock, but I'd be willing to put money on the chance that they'd go nuts over this. Really, how can you not fall in love with lyrics like yeah, we're all smashed out and we're not coming out, we're gonna throw a party and we're gonna right now???
  The fun doesn't end there, as this time the Doppelgangers have invited their rad mates the Conniption Fitts round for the party! Their side of the rec is admittedly a tad hard to swallow after hearing the greatness that is Be My Doppelganger, but don't worry - they're new to the game and their decent "New Heart Beet", albeit slightly weak for a firsty, doubles up with their adrenaline rush of a tune "Walk 'em Back" to initiate them into the garage-punk world with a positive impression. I've only just heard of them (through this rec, of course), but you can rest assured that I'll be following the activity of this bunch from hereonafter.
  The excitement exhibited in this limited vinyl release can not be complimented by yours truly on his own. See their MySpace page and go to the 'reviews' blog. I can't help but share others' enthusiasm when expressing my thoughts about my favourite US band (after the Steinways, of course... oops, sorry, there I go again) of the moment; I'm really quite trendy in my own world. If you're also trendy, or if you're interested in introducing yourself to a copy of the split, I can only advise you hurry yourself in buying your copy, because a short pressing of three-hundred will probably mean that it won't be around for much longer!

Here's another newer review of the first album...from Jersey Beat Fanzine 11/07

BE MY DOPPELGANGER - Rock N' Roll Genius (myspace.com/bitchinriffage)
Wow. This band is really good. From the first song I was hooked. This is a band that is clearly influenced by some older power pop bands but forges their own sound with a unique approach to music. They add sincerity to music that used to be all about frivolity. A real gem is "Evening News", where bassist Bradley Anxiety takes the mic and ends up sounding like a more pop punk version of a younger Chris Conley and leads the band in the resounding chorus of "You're gonna make the evening news!!!". The band would do well to let him sing a little bit more, he has a great voice. I look forward to see what else this band has to offer. As far as I can tell they have a slew of vinyl releases out now, I would recommend checking into those as this release is from 2006 and the stuff I have listened to online is every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Rock on! - Jon Robinson

New review of an old release...from Punk Or Nothing Zine 10/07
What the crap!? I'm sat here reviewing what must be the most underappreciated album of 2006. These guys should be massive! If I'd had known about this shit last year, I'd have been all over it like a fly on shit. The fact that a band of Be My Doppelganger's calibre are somehow able to live a relatively unnoticed existence in the world of music and the millions of pussy Arctic Monkey rip takes can squeeze out a fart every few months and continue to be hailed as geniuses, says that something is terribly corrupt in the current state of rock 'n' roll.

I hate to be Mr Obvious and talk about the first song, but… you couldn't want for a better introductory tune. "Shake Down Your Walls" is an instant earful. It's one of those openers that informs you that that's it, you're going to love this album from start to finish, and yeah yeah yeah, no album is perfect and there's got to be some filler blah blah blah, but nope - not this time, suckers. The only even vaguely weak moments are the ever corny "Down 'N' Dirty" and the dozy "Too Cold To Fight", and even then the Doppelgangers are at the top of their game. With that said, there's something in Rock 'N' Roll, Genius for everyone. An obvious pop-lyrical appeal shines throughout, in particular on my personal favourite, "Evening News." You're a classy female with an attention span to spare, on anything except making beds, and making sure the pets are fed…, lead vocalist Matt Malice sings with such a raw level of adolescent enthusiasm that you can't help but fall in love with what may not be the most hook-laden of songs on offer here, but boasts a mood of vocal euphoria so powerful you could compare it to anything from the likes of End of The Century by the Ramones. Catering for the most melody obsessed (like yours pop whore truly) listeners of Doppelganger is "She's" The One I Want", which despite the title of the track not sending out any signs of originality, sounds alarmingly fresh. "Raygun Rock 'N' Roll" is its polar opposite: loud, heavy and drenched in guitar solos. The funny thing is it manages to sit next to "She's" nice and comfortably, whereas towards the end, "Warfare" snaps us out of the haze of the too-slow "Too Cold To Fight" with its raucous grunge and choral bellowing, just before "Hanging By The Phone" ends it all somewhere in between.
I could be an even worse write than usual; and simply quote Be My Doppelganger as being either Didjits or The Real Kids at any given moment, but that would be naughty and ignoring the fact that they're so much more. Check 'em out if you're a fan of either band. No, actually I'd like to rephrase that: just check 'em out, for god's sake.

Razorcake Review 1 - "Convertible Girls" 7 inch
Yay! Summertime punk rock! Totally silly and cool back-up vocals! Silly pop punk songs about shirtless girls, cutting your eyes out with a knife, and a show sans air conditioning! The back of their record looks like it was laid out by Rev. Nørb, but layout credit is given to a mysterious Mark, who must be familiar with the following fact: Having your record laid out by Rev. Nørb is, in 98.5 percent of cases, a guarantee that your record will rock. In fact, I think this connection is stronger than that between cool boys and boys who wear pink Converse shoes! Oh, the science! If this were a cereal, it'd be a super special summer edition of Froot Loops! Yum! –Maddy

Razorcake Review 2 - "Convertible Girls" 7 inch
Wait, don't skip past this review merely because of the band's "For the honor of signing to Jade Tree we would gladly part with all of our Pedro the Lion bootlegs" moniker. Be My Doppelganger are much better at writing and performing songs than they are naming bands. Sonically, they draw on pop punk like the Briefs (and visually the sleeve graphics seem to tip the cap to Rev. Nørb). "10 Seconds to Go" is the best cut, more aggressive than the others and catchier, too (reminds me of the Mighty John Waynes). It took me several listens to convince myself that they weren't singing "On the goddamn radio" in the chorus. A little confusion never got in the way of a good time. -Mike Faloon

Now Wave Review - "Convertible Girls" 7 Inch
Sweet damn! Hot on the heels of a fair-to-good debut album, Be My Doppelganger breaks out with THE powerpop hit of summer '07. Officially, summer does not begin until the end of June. But the meteorologists can suck it. The colleges are letting out, kids are going to prom, Memorial Day is the week after next. I get an eyeful of primo ghetto booty every day on the drive home from work. It's fucking summer, man! Be My Doppelganger's latest was made to be played (loud) on summer nights. "Convertible Girls" sounds like it really should be blasting from convertibles - or any other motor vehicle transporting libidinous youths in the heat of the night, time frozen by unrelenting laughter and the promise of good times. It's an invigorating blast of immediate melodies and huge, anthemic hooks, which calls out the teenager in all of us. It spiritedly celebrates that special time of the year when the weather gets warm and the young ladies start wearing less clothing. In this age of political correctness run terribly amok, I nearly cry tears of joy at the sight of girl-objectifying lyrics like these:

Your top's down for the summer/It's a total bummer/That you can't leave your top down for the rest of the year

Be My Doppelganger somehow manages to take inspiration from The Ramones, Boys, Replacements, Exploding Hearts, and Cheap Trick without really sounding like any of those bands. Taking the basic punk/powerpop style and infusing it with a huge dose of ROCK, the Evansville, Indiana foursome cultivates a sound that is distinctly its own. The group comes strong on this record with a hotter, more aggressive attack and tunes that simply cannot be denied. And the lead guitar playing is on fire! "Convertible Girls" rides high on an insanely catchy chorus, highly enthusiastic backups, and a guitar riff that kills. Back in the day (when teenagers really did cruise the streets with their radios cranked to the hilt), we used to call a song like this a "hit". And somewhere in another dimension, where pop hooks still rule the airwaves and all the chicks are rock n' roll girls, this song is a hit.

"No AC" is in the same vein - a melodic sing-along anthem that rocks like a motherfucker. And "Ten Seconds To Go" is further evidence that these guys are closet metalheads, crossing the funtime 'tude and thundering bluster of '80s hair rock with unabashed pop catchiness. Yeah, man. Pound for pound, this is about as good of a B-side as you'll ever hear. And you know how I feel about the A-side. It's a must for any true blue Now Waver.

Alright, guys. This it. The point of no return. You make a great record like this one, and there's no going back. Future Be My Doppelganger releases will have to be as awesome as this one. Otherwise, children will cry, ecosystems will collapse, and the terrorists will have won.

Lord Rutledge
May 18, 2007

Smashin' Transistors Review
"Convertible Girls" 7 Inch
"Regular guy" punk rock outta the Bluegrass state with their eyes on a hooky prize. Is that powerpop? Nah, These jakes are more about t-shirts and jeans so they don't dress the part. Pop-punk? It's a bit more gruff than what usually falls from that tree. The a-side, "Convertible Girls", an obvious paean to warm weather and chicks in cars is the real winner on this hot pink single sounding something like the Leg Hounds getting drunk by breathing in the whiskey fumes that I've swore I saw rising off a Replacements record at one time but with a whole lot more bombast.

Maximum Rocknroll Review
Be My Doppelganger - Rock n Roll, Genius! CD
"With four hit dice and an armor class of five, doppelgangers will fuck you up if you're not careful. Anyway, these particular ones appear friendly enough, being four young men from the bluegrass state. I knew this was going to be good even before I played it - The Boys shirt and the Screeching Weasel patch on the cover gave it away, and both those bands are as good a reference as any. Good catchy punk rock that walks the line between snotty '77-style punk and pop punk. Gnarly riffing, bad-attitude vocals, and well-used back-ups set the tone, and along with some pretty good song writing make this disc a certain keeper. They remind me of a much rougher, tougher Weston. I'm sure they kick ass live too, so if you're ever in Kentucky....."

Now Wave Review
(REVIEW BY LORD RUTLEDGE)
Be My Doppelganger - Rock n Roll, Genius! CD
Be My Doppelganger is a punk/powerpop band unlike any other I've heard lately. Listening to the Henderson, Kentucky group's debut album, I hear obvious echoes of the Plimsouls, Paul Collins Beat, and Exploding Hearts. But, oddly, I also hear many hallmarks of FM thunder rock circa 1984. The big, boisterous backups and fervently upbeat vocals bring to mind the legendary powerpop/proto hair band Candy. The songs just have that feel, ya know? Every song is an anthem, or least tries to be. The lead vocalist sings with the sort of unremitting optimism that was so prevalent in the Reagan years -- as if he can right all the world's wrongs and bring a smile to the face of every discontented youth through the sheer power of rock. It's impossible to hear these songs and not imagine them appearing on the soundtracks of early '80s teenage B-movies, the music blasting over montage footage of young protagonists hitting the streets in search of good times and true love. The band cites all the usual suspects as inspirations -- Clash, Ramones, Buzzcocks, Replacements. But especially on songs like "Raygun Rock N Roll" and "Warfare", I hear the unmistakable influence of big, hooky mid-'80s A.O.R. (Autograph? Night Ranger? Post-makeup KISS?[Matt Says, "Ewwww...no way!"]). I'm probably way, way off here, but I bet you a dollar that these boys are closet metalheads (Come on -- they named their record label "Bitchin' Riffage"!). And even if I am wrong about the source of this band's uniqueness, the result is still the same: darn good music. That's right, chief. I really like this band! They really know how to write a good song, and the high-spirited nature of their music is positively infectious. And if a couple tracks are on the cheesy side, they are in the minority. "Shake Down Your Walls" is a buoyant, high energy blast of punky powerpop. "Evening News" (and its criminally catchy chorus!) has been stuck in my head for weeks. "Hangin' By The Phone" and "Teenage Beat" are great as well. And the thing is, I don't think Be My Doppelganger has even approached its potential yet. Rock N Roll, Genius! is pretty much of demo quality, production-wise. I very much look forward to the group's next album, rumored to be titled Fuck You, It's My Right To Stick My Penis In My Ear. Watch out for this band!
---Lord Rutledge
October 19, 2006