By Jack

Matriarchal trio L.A. Witch take the breezy sound of West Coast rock and turn it a whole lot darker on ‘Drive Your Car’.

It’s pretty clear pretty quickly that this isn’t a song about joy riding. The automobile is one of the most enduring and archetypical symbols of machismo – and lead singer Sade Sanchez has taken it for herself.

It’s a song about control, of holding the most cherished possession of another, even an integral part of their self-perception, with the power to cherish it or leave it in a twisted wreck on the I-5.

That looming tension is reflected in the dark & distorted sound. Sanchez sings in a detached state of irony, her vocals layered in a metallic haze in keeping with Karen-O. The reverb heavy guitar and pummelling beat are pure post-punk.

L.A. Witch have a debut album out next month. We’ll look forward to continuing this fatalistic story.