Home MusicCANDY WHIPS replaces ’50s Sepia with Futuristic DayGlo & Neon… Synth-drenched cover of The Flamingos’ 1959 hit “I Only Have Eyes For You”

CANDY WHIPS replaces ’50s Sepia with Futuristic DayGlo & Neon… Synth-drenched cover of The Flamingos’ 1959 hit “I Only Have Eyes For You”

by Rey Roldan
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“I’ve always been a big oldies fan,” says WENDY STONEHENGE of CANDY WHIPS about his new EP MOONLIGHTwhich features reinterpretations of radio hits of the 1950s, including “Duke of Earl” (Gene Chandler), “Earth Angel” (The Penguins), and “Bad Boy” (Marty Wilde), among others. “When I was a kid, it was always on the radio. These days, oldies radio doesn’t really exist so you have to actively seek it out.” Due out August 26th, 2025, via Kitten Robot, the EP dusts off the radio hits of yore and polishes them with synths, vocal effects, and drum machines, buffing them with shiny, modern production. “My choice of tracks is more of an intentional thing. I’ve noticed that I’m particularly drawn to doo wop and old vocal groups.”

Launching the EP with the synth-drenched “I Only Have Eyes For You” (originally by The Flamingos), Wendy explains, “This is probably my favorite doo wop song and the first I recorded for the album. I feel like it really sets the tone for the whole EP.”

I Only Have Eyes for You

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby I Only Have Eyes for You · Candy Whips I Only Have Eyes for You ℗ 2025 Kitten Robot Records Released on: 2025-07-15 Auto-generated by YouTube.

“A lot of these songs are so ingrained in us that it’s easy to overlook how creative and weird they were in their day,” he says about his song choice. “I think I’ve brought some of that weirdness to the forefront.” Adding a pulsating, mechanized rhythm to Marvin and Johnny’s “Cherry Pie”, Wendy transforms the swoony dancehop sway into a midnight dancefloor waltz. The joyfully tribal energy of The Cadet’s “Stranded in the Jungle” is updated with bright, staccato electro beats, artfully shifting the quirk into kitsch. Adding a blast of bright light to the Chordettes/Pat Ballard’s girl group classic “Mr. Sandman,” he creates a twinkling lullaby for babies counting electric sheep. Taking The Penguins’ perennial romantic slowdance song “Earth Angel” (reinvigorated multiple times in previous decades in Back to the FutureGrease, and Happy Days, among many other cultural touchstones), he processes his vocals to the point of transforming it into a romantic jam for robots. “If I could turn young people on to this old music, that would be amazing,” Wendy professes. “It sometimes bums me out that this stuff isn’t as ubiquitous as it was in my childhood. This era is the well that most good music sprung from!”

Already an established member of the well-known Northern California glam rock band Glitter Wizard, Wendy Stonehenge formed Candy Whips as a side project to dabble in music that didn’t fit his other band. When live shows ground to a halt during the pandemic, he re-ignited the project in his home studio and transported Kraftwerk’s roborock to Oakland, fusing the genres punk, electronic, and synthpop. Previously known for creating the critically-hailed gonzo cyberpunk of his 2021’s debut LP Automaton, 2023’s hypnotic A.L.T.C.H.B.S., and 2024’s angular synth-pop album Artificial Melodies, which was released last year, MOONLIGHT is a refreshing and modernized take on classic tracks that are captivating yet intriguing to the ear.

Candy Whips is the solo project of Wendy Stonehenge. The new single “I Only Have Eyes For You” is out today and can be streamed HERE. Their new cover album, Moonlight is due out August 26th via Kitten Robot.

MOONLIGHT
Tracklisting

1. I Only Have Eyes For You
2. Cherry Pie
3. Stranded In The Jungle
4. Bad Boy
5. Duke Of Earl
6. Mr. Sandman
7. Earth Angel
8. My True Story

 

Rey Roldan
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