LA psych-blues trio release their deliciously dark debut EP
What could be more appealing than a bunch of ridiculously good-looking LA hipsters nonchalantly playing garage rock for hideously hip good-lookers, possibly on some MTV show about rich kids in Orange County? From their media, The Vim Dicta looked marginally more attractive than bubonic plague. But fear not, and listen to their mysteriously monochrome EP before you read the hype.
Cory Elliott's voice is immediately the most striking element that keeps you hooked to this nostalgic garage psych-blues. At times smoky and sensual, then sharp and hysterical, it's easy to be reminded of Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane, given the swirling guitar work and relentless beats. It's sometimes hard to believe it's just the three of them playing, it gets that intense. Title track Lucky Strike draws you in with dark promises and heavy bass, revelling in its imperfection. It tells you straight up that these guys aren't recycling the vintage shtick; they're the real deal, so far as it goes.
Mezmer couldn't be more appropriately named. Resplendent with snaking riff and psychedelic vocal, if Jack White had released it we'd all be proclaiming its genius. Your Man brings us down to grungy blues-lite with the flick of a fuzz pedal. Keeping to the same laid-back beat could have worked against them, but they glide like a razor from one riff to the next.
It's easy to draw parallels to everyone from The Doors to early Alice Cooper, but they cleverly cut the fine balance between hazy nostalgia and gritty modernity. Being featured on Sons of Anarchy probably helped too. Let's hope they're just as good live.