Describing their music as "California doom boogie," Death Valley Girls are a garage punk band whose tough, fuzzy sound melds bad-trip psychedelia and biker-soundtrack drama with lyrics celebrating a rich variety of questionable behavior. Buzzy lead guitars, muscular and primitive drumming, and Bonnie Bloomgarden's bold vocal stylings were the hallmarks of early albums like 2014's Street Venom and 2016's Glow in the Dark. As the group matured on 2020's Under the Spell of Joy and 2023's Islands in the Sky, their attack gained a bit of refinement, hard rock influences became more audible, and echoey atmospheric production added new layers to their music.

Death Valley Girls were formed in Los Angeles, California in 2013. The initial lineup featured drummer Patty Schemel (who had worked with Hole and Juliette and the Licks), her brother Larry Schemel on guitar (previously of Lucid Nation), bassist Rachel Orosco, and lead singer Bonnie Bloomgarden (a former member of the Witnesses). They made a low-key debut with 2014's cassette-only release Street Venom, which was issued without credits. Later that year, they released a single, "Electric High" b/w "Gettin' Hard," by which time Patty Schemel had left the band, and Laura Kelsey (ex-Flytraps) took over on drums. Their second full-length release, 2016's Glow in the Dark, documented more lineup changes -- Alana Amram replaced Rachel Orosco as their bassist, and Jessie Jones came aboard to share vocal duties with Bloomgarden. 2018's Darkness Rains was the group's first album for Suicide Squeeze Records, and included the song "Disaster (Is What We're After)." The video for the song included an impressive endorsement from punk pioneer Iggy Pop, who eats a fast food burger while listening to the tune. In 2020, they released a limited-edition live cassette, Levitation Sessions, that was recorded during a set at the Cone in Los Angeles. 

2020's Under the Spell of Joy featured Larry Schemel and Bonnie Bloomgarden joined by Nicole "Pickle" Smith on bass and Rikki Styxx on drums, while Laura Kelsey moved from percussion to keyboards. Street Venom was given an expanded reissue in July 2021, making the cassette available in vinyl and digital formats. In early 2022, Death Valley Girls released a split single with Le Butcherettes, with the former performing "When I'm Free" and the latter doing "The Universe." The following April, "When I'm Free" was issued again in a remix from electro-rap pioneer Peaches. Issued in February 2023, Islands in the Sky was the Death Valley Girls' most polished effort to date. For these sessions, Sammy Westervelt took over on bass and vocals from Nicole "Pickle" Smith, and Laura Kelsey dropped out of the band, with Bonnie Bloomgarden serving double duty on vocals and keyboards. The album also featured guest appearances from Gregg Foreman on additional keys and Gabe Flores on sax. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Death Valley Girls

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