A staple of the SoCal psychedelic garage rock scene for over a decade now, L.A. Witch are reinventing themselves on their third full-length with a noticeable shift to influences a few decades removed from those they’ve pulled from since their 2013 debut EP. Recent single “777” introduced this latest chapter culminating in the April 4 release of DOGGOD, though it’s the second single “The Lines” which most clearly demonstrates how a change in gear inspired the trio to experiment with post-punk and coldwave. “We used a lot of effects we hadn’t utilized as much before,” shares guitarist/vocalist Sade Sanchez, “like Chorus and Flanger [pedals] and string machines, including the Solina and Roland VP330. This is the link between our surfy, California garage influences and our faster, colder influences—you could even say our more European influences.”
Matching the aesthetic of the track, the official music video stars dancer and ASL interpreter Lark Detweiler in a gothy get-up utilizing both of these talents to parse the song’s themes. “The ASL featured in the video is a unique expression of the emotions in Sade’s lyrics, personally interpreted and translated by Detweiler,” shares director Sydney Mills. “The song features repeating lyrics, but Detweiler wanted to explore the many ways ASL can represent ‘lines’—tracing the shape of a person, drawing a boundary between two people, or even shooting an arrow toward the stars—each reflecting how humans redefine and interact with lines in unique ways. By interpreting language into movement, we can express something deep about the struggles of being alive, stuck with a body beyond our control, with feeling that can’t always be expressed with words alone.”
You can find the video below, along with all of L.A. Witch’s upcoming spring tour dates with DAIISTAR and Chokecherry. Pre-order DOGGOD here.
