If you hear the phrase “garage rock trio” you might immediately begin to roll your eyes in anticipation of the copy and paste approach many such bands have employed in the past couple of decades. But on their third album L.A. Witch show it doesn’t have to be that way. With ‘DOGGOD’ they have delivered guitar music with its own unique style and identity, forcing a curious raised eyebrow among even the most hardened sceptics.
Major praise should go to guitarist-vocalist Sade Sanchez, who blends stylish indie-rock with Americana-infused blues guitar licks. Laden with heavy reverb and recorded with crisp perfection, you would almost believe they had ricocheted off the canyons of Los Angeles to reach your ears.
But what is most compelling here is how the band have tapped into the echo-heavy, neo-psychedelic atmospheric rock that has taken centre stage in modern guitar circles thanks to bands such as Khruangbin and Glass Beams.
L.A. Witch have incorporated relaxing atmospheric tones in order to revitalise the cagey and derivative guitar playing that has dogged some of their genre peers and, in doing so, they deliver a refreshing approach and sets them apart.
Sanchez’s playing is aided at each turn by the complementary work of bassist Irita Pai and drummer Ellie English, who hold down the groove while offering the guitar breathing room to work its magic. Listen to the fuzzy overdriven bass of I Hunt You Pray and you will hear a sound every guitarist on the planet would want to explore further. Topped off with Sanchez’s haunting, visceral lyric, it’s an effortlessly cool should-be smash hit.
Frustratingly, ‘DOGGOD’ can’t entirely avoid the trap of style over substance. Midway through, you might find yourself puzzling over what’s missing until the title track lands and there’s an overdue injection of life, Sanchez’s riffs raising the intensity to get the heart racing. But it’s a short-lived buzz, setting up a weak ending that, in retrospect, makes the album feel one-paced. With the obvious talent and charisma at L.A. Witch’s disposal, this could have been a game- changer — until next time.
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