Burger Record’s decision to sign Bonnie Bloomgarden, Larry Schemel, Nicole Smith, and Laura Kelsey know collectively as Death Valley Girls is leading to a stellar pairing. Burger Records in known for their respect to their bands. And that respect shows in full force for this release.
My first exposure to Death Valley Girls was their ferocious single “Glow In the Dark” a couple months back. The immediate imagery in my head were powerful, focused, and an intense want for more. It’s a triumph in punk, fused with psychedelia and a contender of my favorite singles of the year. It perfectly encapsulates the album as a whole.
Kicking off the rest of the album is “Disco” flowing with a fluid stamp beat driving the song throughout with every aspect of the band perfectly weaved throughout. “Death Valley Beat’s” furiously, speedy, and fragmented explosion of a miraculous hodgepodge of instrumentation that would sound like an utter mess if performed by a band of inferior talents. “Seis Seis Seis” takes a slower turn with more melted sounding vocals with mesh perfectly with two sets of guitars, one distorted and one perfectly in tune until the final third of song take the guitars into a crescendo almost sounding like an intentional car wreck or explosion. “Pink Radiation” begins with somber keyboards and almost takes on an apocalyptic lullaby vibe marrying a blissful tune with harmonious vocals which hold a darker intent than the the melody would imply. “It’s a Man’s World” is a ragged beast that wouldn’t sound out of place on Bikini Kill’s Pussy Whipped debut. With horrific imagery we have “Horror Movie” which bleeds with a malaise attitude that add to the fear factor. Almost like the desire to find more vicious blood splatter is growing. “Summertime’s” layered vocals bluesy bass and drums beats which flow perfectly into one another. Closing the album out is “Waiting for You”, a staggering track where each note ends in a jagged peak rounded keyboards dispersed perfectly throughout.
I had the opportunity to see them in the pre shows for the infamously cancelled Levitation 2016. I skipped it in favor for acts I was more familiar with which was the biggest mistake I made the entire weekend. And now that I’ve listened to the album half a dozen times and hope someday they’ll be within driving distance. Don’t miss the revolution of this band.
http://burgerrecords.11spot.com/death-valley-girls-glow-in-the-dark.html
Richard Murray, Pow Magazine
rdmurrayiii at gmail dot com
