Song of the Day: L.A. Witch – Baby In Blue Jeans

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Baby In Blue Jeans" by L.A. Witch from their self-titled album, available now via Suicide Squeeze Records.

L.A. Witch – Baby In Blue Jeans (MP3)

L.A. Witch, a garage rock trio whose hometown is true to their namesake, released their self-titled debut LP on Suicide Squeeze Records this September. The album almost sounds like it belongs in another generation of Angeleno music history, but it still fits in with the city’s modern era. The band’s three members play an amalgamation of West Coast rock from decades past, but they infuse it all with an updated punk energy. They also smother everything — every individual track and instrument — in lots and lots of reverb.

“Baby In Blue Jeans” relies on a heavy dose of reverb to build a dark, spacious sound. The song plods forward with a consistent rhythm, a crunchy guitar riff layering around a steady drumbeat, bass, and hazy vocals until they all finally slow to a stop together at the end of the four-and-a-half-minute run. It's one of the lower-energy songs on L.A. Witch, but the slower pace only allows more room for each of the instruments to breathe.

L.A. Witch has a few upcoming tour dates in the Midwest and on the West Coast, including a spot opening for Diarrhea Planet in Las Vegas. They will also play a couple of shows in Australia in December. More details can be found on their Facebook page. Check out the video for “Get Lost,” a track off their 2014 self-titled EP, below.