Album Review: L.A. Witch, Play with Fire (Suicide Squeeze Records)

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Play with Fire is the second offering from the garage band L.A. Witch. Founded by L.A natives Sade Sanchez (vocals, guitar), Irita Pai (bass), and Ellie English (drums), the band’s sound can be been described as lethargic, stoner rock reverb steeped with a riot grrrl attitude.

Play with Fire explodes at the outset with Fire Starter and the fiery love song Motorcycle Boy. The sound is raw and testifies to this band’s ability to transfer the energy of a live gig at your local dive bar onto this studio-recorded album. However, the transition into the album’s third song, Dark Horse, quickly changes tack and channels the energy of a boozy flamenco dancer.

The following three-songs on this nine-track album were released as an EP earlier this year. I Wanna Lose, Gen Z and Sexorexia, and capture the essence of the album’s themes of self-righteousness, freedom and a call to those disempowered to reclaim what is theirs, echoing similar issues and styles found in the riot grrrl feminist punk movement.

In I Wanna Lose, a highly feminist infused track, Sanchez purrs, I wanna be the one to end the fight, ‘I wanna be the one to make things right’. Gen Z takes on the generation and demands a call to action in its lyrics, to moments in the all-girl chanting in Sexorexia which have a familiar Bikini Kill vibe.

By the last few tracks, some could possibly feel a bit tired of the cliché narratives, feedback squeals, familiar rhythm patterns, and Sanchez’s tired vocals. The stand out for this part of the album is Maybe the Weather with its grungy psychedelic melody. But by the time you reach have reached the end of Starred with its jarring beat and howling feedback, you realise that the album is over before it’s begun to really develop, leaving you yearning for something a little bit more.

Sarah Richardson

The 13th Floor
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