Like a phoenix from the flames, Welcome To Earth is an album born of devastation and loss, whilst somehow still managing to exude stoicism, hope and wonder.
In early 2025, the Eaton Fire tore through Southern California, taking with it lives, nature, and property, including the home of lead singer Bonnie Bloomgarden. This annihilation left Bonnie grappling with fundamental questions: What survives a disaster? What remains after total loss? And how do you rebuild a life when the structures that once defined it have vanished overnight?
Rather than letting grief collapse inward, Death Valley Girls channel that rupture into a sound that feels both grounded and infinite. For the best part of a decade, the band has been variously labelled as punk, surf, or gothic rock, but they are perhaps most poignantly understood as architects of psych-pop. Here, that sound is strung together with cosmic, pulsing beats, mind-bending sax solos, and Bloomgarden’s swaying, incantatory vocals. Celestial track titles like “Basic Witch,” “Plant Magic,” and “Fire And Brimstone” pave a clear path through the record, signalling that the album’s themes aren’t merely personal, but universal and astronomical.
A personal and profound album, focusing on connections between people, animals, memories, landscapes and life. Despite the havoc of the Eaton Fires, the album screams life, with the rebirth from “Plant Magic”, and the connection of “I Love You”.
Formed some 13 years ago, and with this marking their sixth studio album, Death Valley Girls prove they are a vital force to be reckoned with, be it in this realm, or on some distant astral plane.
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