L.A. Witch “S/T”

L.A. Witch do indeed hail from the city of angels but, as the second part of the name suggests, they are not necessarily a ‘typical’ LA band. Instead they are offering up a sound which is seductive and haunting but also encompasses the raw passion of garage rock.

The second part of the band’s name certainly appears appropriate when you hear first song “Kill My Baby Tonight”. As the title suggests, it’s a dark and twisting psychedelic rocker. As with tracks like “You Love Nothing” and “Baby In Blue Jeans”, it offers a dark tone with it’s mixture of sparse vocals and intense and brooding guitar parts.

The crawling snake like vibe of “Brian” sees our thoughts turning to The Doors. It’s the balance of sinister and dark with a swirling melody. Certainly, “Drive Your Car” and in particular it’s video (which is where we first heard the band) made us think about Mr Morrison’s band. It manages to be both haunting and yet still engaging.

Things get relatively more ‘upbeat’ with the psychedelic rocking of “Feel Alright” and “Good Guys”. These tracks remind us of the desert rock sound of Those Darlins. A band who also, as their sound progressed, balanced melancholy and darkness with an alternative rock sound. Although “Get Lost” had us thinking of another long-lost band, The Nymphs.

LA Witches’ sound couldn’t be much further from the shiny, insubstantial imagery of tinsel town..but it is certainly bewitching! This sound is far more at home in the dirty back streets inhabited by bands like the Velvet Underground or Nick Cave. An absorbing and engaging late at night album rather than one for the Californian sunshine.