L.A. Witch – Motorcycle Boy

LA punk trio L.A. Witch released their second album ‘Play With Fire’ last August to critical acclaim. They are back with a scintillating video for the track ‘Motorcycle Boy

Cat’s Eyes 60s girl group pastiche meets the outsider rock ‘n’ roll of their label mates (Suicide Squeeze) Death Valley Girls on this Hopper/Fonda inspired gem. Aloof, sexy, and dangerous, they traverse ‘Easy Rider’ and ‘Wild One’ landscapes with the effortless cool of Nicholson and Brando. Backed up by the instantly iconic video, L.A. Witch have found a way to move their punk sound forwards with distinct and rebellious integrity.

The guitars are simply divine. Freer than any BRMC track, beefier than The Byrds, and cooler than Steppenwolf, they are set to titillate even the sourest of souls! If like us, you missed the album, dive back in and let its magnificent wash away the February blues.

*Image courtesy of Marco Hernandez

Death Valley Girls - Breakthrough

LA’s psychedelic occult punk rockers Death Valley Girls are back with their new single ‘Breakthrough’. It is to be the title track from their new EP due for release on the 12th June via Suicide Squeeze Records.

‘Breakthrough’ is about freeing oneself from an invisible prison. Inspired by Damien Echols of the West Memphis 3, they conjure the primordial magic of the Stooges and Black Sabbath via the smooth psyche of the Velvets. Despite the discourse, it’s impossible to escape the connotations of covid19’s grip on peoples mind-sets amid lockdown.

There is something beautifully simplistic to the guitar playing. Akin to Peter Green, everything has space to breathe and, flourish. The concise solos, perfectly encapsulate the short lived release of a daily exercise outside. Great for a brief period but, soon the familiar walls of home circulate both physically and, of any thoughts of escapism.   

Yet again, Death Valley Girls prove they are major innovators.

*Image courtesy of Abby Banks

Suicide Squeeze Records · Death Valley Girls - Breakthrough

Death Valley Girls – Darkness Rains

Death Valley Girls released their third album 'Darkness Rains' last October via Suicide Squeeze Records. They are currently on a monster tour across the US, Europe and will soon be in the UK. To whet everyone's appetite, we look back at 'Darkness Rains'.

Every so often, bands like The Pistols, The Clash, The Strokes, and The Libertines hit the reset button on a bloated rock music scene. Death Valley Girls have this spirit at their core. The likes of '(One Less Thing) Before I Die' and 'Wear Black' personify this but with the muscular guitars a stinging vocals.

This album goes further than resetting the wheel though. The punk spirit is met with psychedelic garage guitars, giving new meaning to dangerous. The growling hiss of 'Disaster (Is What We Are After)' spirals out of control in a frenzied mash up of Jim Jones Revue meets BRMC circa 'Spectre At The Feast'.

'Unzip Your Forehead' harness' the primal nature of early Sabbath with big meaty riffs before Bonnie Bloomgarden's spiky Kate Bush vocal elevates everything to a new psychedelic plain. There is a realness to their psyche, its not floaty or hazy, its firmly rooted in the chaos of modern life. The howling solo in the closing stages is the perfect scream of “wwwwhhhhyyyy” every time their tapeworm of a President takes to Twitter.

'Abre Camino' ferociously stares into the abyss with its The Blinders-esque guitar licks. Like their peers, they have found a way to unite the voiceless via a demented and destructive form psyche punk rock.

This is not for the faint of heart. This is a courageous and vehement act of defiance in a world on the edge of a dystopian nightmare.