There have been two really good times to be a TV- and film-loving fan of Archie Comics. The first time is now, what with Sabrina and Riverdale being as delightful as they are. The other time was in 2001, when Josie and the Pussycats came out.
I cannot overstate my fondness for this movie and its self-conscious, sly pastiche of corporate pop music and the band movie (see Spice World for the less ironic example), a romp of a movie that earned a cult following by both being faithful to the spirit of Archie Comics and just being a lot of fun.
So, as the local Josie stan, it is my duty to inform you: you can now stream the excellent album collecting the pop music made for the film. While Mondo re-released the soundtrack on a limited vinyl a while ago, the collection of songs, sung by Kay Hanley of Letters to Cleo, hasn’t been widely available in any other format really, well, ever, and now it’s easy to access for everyone.
I love this music, y’all. It manages to both be well-crafted pop while still feeling like a smirking parody of pop. It’s a real hat trick. Check it out if you haven’t.