“If our mothers only knew, the trouble that we get into”*.
I take to the keyboard with a heavy heart as Sistrionix 2.0 is the final album release from LA’s full-force-dynamic-duo Deap Vally. Whether you like it or not all good things must come to an end and the band recently announced that this release, along with a final tour, would be their swansong. I’ve been a huge fan since 2013 when I saw them live at Dingwalls (plus many times since) and was in awe of how Lindsey Troy on guitar and Julie Edwards on drums could manifest a sound a hundred-fold louder and heavier than two people should, by rights, be able to make.
Sistrionix 2.0 offers a mixture of newly recorded versions and demos of the songs from 2013’s Sistrionix, which is brimming with Deap Vally classics – and crowd-pleasers – such as ‘End of the World’, ‘Walk of Shame’, ‘Creeplife’, ‘Gonna Make My Own Money’, and ‘Lies’. If this was recorded knowing this was their last outing then it would explain how they have managed to wring another level of volume and distortion out of their equipment. Troy says “We just felt it would be fitting to go out with a bang, not a whimper. I felt marking this occasion should be a cathartic process: healing deep wounds, reconnecting with old friends and collaborators – and falling in love with Deap Vally all over again.”
It’s an album that could easily be subtitled ‘pandemics and pregnancies’ given that COVID stopped all but recording as a source of income and both band members are now mothers which has made the usual music business cycle of recording and touring difficult. Lindsey Troy says “That model isn’t compatible with our current lives. We found we just can’t function as a traditional band anymore,” and Julie Edwards adds “It’s time for both of us to explore motherhood and other avenues of our lives properly, rather than squeezing them into our artist’s hustle.”
I choose not to mourn their loss but celebrate the fact that they remain one of the best bands I have seen live, and if you think the barely contained energy in their recorded work is impressive then live they are like a wind machine in a lightning storm and you’re holding a conductor. There is one boss level you can unlock with Deap Vally and that is go to one of their shows and be one of the sweaty mass wailing “it’s the end of the world” or joining in the call of response on ‘Walk Of Shame’. It’s a glorious thing to be part of. You have one last chance to experience the unalloyed joy and energising power of a Deap Vally show when they bring their farewell tour to Europe in May and June. Tickets go on general sale from 5 February:
20 MAY Lisbon / LAV – Lisboa Ao Vivo TICKETS
21 MAY Madrid / La Boite TICKETS
22 MAY Barcelona / Razzmatazz 2 TICKETS
24 MAY Paris / La Maroquinerie TICKETS
26 MAY Cologne / Blue Shell TICKETS
28 May Stockholm / Bar Brooklyn TICKETS
29 May Copenhagen / Hotel Cecil TICKETS
30 MAY Berlin / Cassiopeia TICKETS
31 MAY Sint-Niklaas / Belgium, De Casino TICKETS
1 JUNE Amsterdam / Bitterzoet TICKETS
3 JUNE Brighton / Concorde 2 TICKETS
4 JUNE Nottingham / Rescue Rooms TICKETS
5 JUNE Manchester / Deaf Institute TICKETS
6 JUNE Glasgow / King Tut’s TICKETS
8 JUNE London / EartH Hall TICKETS
9 JUNE Bristol / Thekla TICKETS
Deap Vally socials: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube
*line from the track ‘Bad for my Body’.
Review by Paul F Cook
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