Dad Joke: "Fun Intended" (2026) CD Review

David Reminick is a singer and guitarist known for his work in the band Paper Mice, a Chicago-based group that combines elements of progressive rock and punk in a kind of wild, energetic way. He also has another project, Dad Joke, in which he creates children's music. So the obvious question is, Would he bring the same sensibilities to this project? The answer is yes, as is clear right from the beginning of the debut album, Fun Intended. This is no ordinary children's album. There is some excitement to it, and certainly there is fun. And as for the typical "dad joke," while there is humor to these tracks, none of it will elicit groans, not from children or from adults. So you don't have to worry. The album features all original material. David Reminick plays guitar, bass, keyboards, piano, organ, synthsizer and baritone saxophone. He is joined by Amanda DeBoer Bartlett on vocals, and by John Carroll (of Paper Mice) on drums, percussion and flute. 

The album opens with "We've Got The Squiggles." As I mentioned, right from the first track, it is clear that David Reminick is bringing some of the same excitement of Paper Mice to this project. "We're practically jumping right out of our shoes/We've got the squiggles, and everyone's invited/We're going to pretend to be rabbits and kangaroos." It has a kind of progressive pop vibe, if that makes sense. "We're doing all sorts of ridiculous things." That's perfect for a children's album, a sort of invitation to be silly and to let that energy out. And at one point, David sings, "We're just getting going." Indeed. That's followed by "This Is A Duck." This one had me laughing early on. At the beginning, he repeats, with some urgency, "This is a duck/This is a duck." But what caught me even more off guard and made me laugh is that he follows that line with this: "This is also a duck/This is also a duck." When you hear it, I think you'll laugh too. And then we get a heavy metal thing happening on "This is a chicken/This is a chicken." A variation on the old children's game, and it is totally delicious. Fans of Primus are going to love it, I think.

"I'm not afraid of getting stung by bees," David sings at the beginning of "I Hope Nobody Drops A Big Rubber Horse On My Head," which was written by David Reminick and Daniela Reminick-Alma. This, by the way, was the song I was most excited about when I first glanced at the track list on the CD case, just because it is absurd. But first, back to bees for a moment. I've been stung by bees four times. Each time I would get over the fear, another bee would attack me without cause or provocation. So, now, as an adult, I am afraid of getting stung by bees. Little flying needles. But I also hope nobody drops a big rubber horse on my head. That's the song's narrator's single (and singular) fear, a nice way of putting fear into some context for kids, making a joke out of it. "I'm super worried about a big rubber horse on my head." Well, we all have worries these days. "I know it doesn't make a lot of sense," he admits. This song has a very silly ending. Then "Wakey Wake Up" begins with a rooster crowing, and then establishes a very cool bass line. "You'd better wakey wakey wake up," David sings, and I need to somehow get my alarm clock to play that line instead of tormenting me with that annoying beeping sound. This one suddenly dips into some dark, surprisingly aggressive metal. Yeah, I think that would wake me too. And soon we are back into that cool, funky, jazzy realm. This song is a lot of fun, and in the second half, we slip into a realm from the past, like the Chipmunks are performing at a prom. Brant Hewelt provides vocal work on this one. That's followed by another fun number, "I Heard A Bird," with a deliciously playful and funky attitude. The musical version of bird-watching, this song is a delight. And just before the end, the pace increases.

Amanda DeBoer Bartlett shares lead vocal duties on "Because We're Friends," a sweet number celebrating friendship. "And it's easy to see you bring out the best of me/Because we're friends/Because you're somone I can trust/Because we're friends/There's nothing that we can't discuss." And thematically, it makes complete sense for that song to be followed by "I'm Glad To Be With You Right Now." "Of all the things that I could do/There is nothing that is better/Than spending time with you." And when he sings of pretending to be in a spaceship, the music takes on a sort of spacey vibe. This song is about pretending, and the music takes on different qualities, depending on what they're pretending to be. Like when they pretend to be dinosaurs, there is the stomping of their giant feet. That's my favorite section, by the way. And keeping with the dinosaur theme, that song is followed by "What Did The Dinosaurs Say?" "I think Tyrannosauruses said 'Quack, quack, quack.'" I do love the image of these terrifying creatures going "Quack," and I think there should be a new edit of Jurassic Park to incorporate that very thing. "I don't know what to think/Because they're all extinct." If you like They Might Be Giants, you'll dig this. This song made me laugh several times.

Then we're treated to "It's Almost Halloween (But I Never Got A Costume)." Hurrah, a wonderful Halloween song! As you are likely aware, Halloween is the best holiday of the year, a time of chocolate and frights. But the horror of all horrors is not having a costume. "So I'll do the best with what I've got," he reasons. Yes, this song gives several options to those who might not have a costume. This track is one of my personal favorites. And it contains a Star Trek reference. Amanda DeBoer Bartlett provides some absolutely delightful backing vocal work. Amanda DeBoer Bartless then sings lead on "I'm Deciding To Be Brave." This one has more of a Disney thing happening. It has a nice message, but isn't as much fun as the other songs. Things get sillier again with "You Have To Go Potty Too." "Everybody has to go sometime/And when it's time for you to do it/Stop what you're doing and take care of business." And we know from the song's title just what he is referring to in those opening lines. The album concludes with "I Tried To Use AI...But It Came Out Weird." This is a funny song, with a message I appreciate. In the story of this song, nothing comes out the way he hopes when using AI.  "And I thought of all the ways a human being might have drawn it/I even tried to make one of my own/But it was even worse than I feared," David sings. But the most important lines are these: "I'm understanding why it's important to support creative people/Instead of a machine/I hope we'll work for a future/Where nobody has to compete with computers/And people make music and art/To express something real/To explore and reveal/What we actually feel/In our hearts." And those are the album's final lines, the thought this delightful album leaves us with.

CD Track List

1. We've Got The Squiggles
2. This Is A Duck
3. I Hope Nobody Drops A Big Rubber Horse On My Head
4. Wakey Wake Up
5. I Heard A Bird
6. Because We're Friends
7. I'm Glad To Be With You Right Now
8. What Did The Dinosaurs Say?
9. It's Almost Halloween (But I Never Got A Costume)
10. I'm Deciding To Be Brave
11. You Have To Go Potty Too
12. I Tried To Use AI...But It Came Out Weird

Fun Intended was released on June 12, 2026 on Stritch Records.