Deap Vally - SISTRIONIX 2.0 (2024) Hi-Res

A rock & roll duo from California, Deap Vally deliver a primal mix of hard rock stomp, glam rock swagger, and greasy blues riffs, like the White Stripes colliding with the Black Keys after time traveling to the 1970s and back. With just guitar, vocals, and drums, the group manage to sound full-bodied while possessing a deadly sense of cool, a healthy degree of sonic punch, and a deadpan sense of humor in their braggadocious lyrics. Deap Vally made a fiery debut with 2013's Sistrionix, upped their game on 2016's Femejism, and after looking for the right label for their music, they returned in 2021 with the polished but muscular Marriage.
Deap Vally formed in Los Angeles after guitarist/howler Lindsey Troy, who had been performing as a solo singer and songwriter, took a crocheting class taught in a San Fernando shop by drummer Julie Edwards, who had been in a group called the Pity Party. The two swapped CDs from their respective projects and soon decided to jam together, blocking out plans for a heavy rock band with strong rhythmic grooves. They began rehearsing as a three-piece, but when their bassist started spending too much time with her other projects, they decided to try working as a duo. Choosing an image based on halter tops and short jean shorts, they played their first show at Silverlake Lounge, and their raucous on-stage presence would earn them opening slots with acts like Muse, Peaches, Wolfmother, the Vaccines, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. In July 2012, Deap Vally issued their first single, "Gonna Make My Own Money," and later that month they played their first shows in the United Kingdom. The band generated enough buzz to land bookings at a number of major British music festivals, and Island Records signed them to a record deal.
In the spring of 2013, the self-professed Valley girls released a four-song EP, Get Deap!, produced by Lars Stalfors (Matt and Kim, the Mars Volta, Cold War Kids). Their full-length debut, Sistrionix, arrived that same year and was also produced by Stalfors; it peaked at number 38 on the U.K. album charts. Their sophomore effort, Femejism, was issued three years later. Produced by Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the album restrained some of the crunchy assault of their debut, showcasing a side of Troy that reflected vocal influences like Karen O, Courtney Barnett, and Chrissie Hynde. Despite positive reviews, Femejism didn't match Sistrionix in terms of sales, and Deap Vally cut ties with Island.
The duo focused on touring, opening for a 2017 tour headlined by Garbage and Blondie, and when Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips proposed a collaboration with Lindsey Troy, it led to a one-off album titled Deap Lips, with Coyne and Steven Drozd writing and recording nine original songs with Troy and Edwards, along with a cover of Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher," made famous by Steppenwolf. The Deap Lips album was issued by the British independent label Cooking Vinyl, and Deap Vally would team with them to release 2021's Marriage, which added pop and hip-hop influences to their blend and included guest appearances from KT Tunstall, Peaches, Jamie Hince of the Kills, and Jennie Vee of Eagles of Death Metal.