If one of the consequences for taking a crochet class is finding a drummer to start a two piece rock and roll garage outfit that teeters on the edge of Karen O’s howl and Jack White’s scuzzed distortion, I’m going to stock up on some yarn and needles right away. While knitting doesn’t sound rock and roll in theory, that’s how Lindsay Troy and Julie Edwards met in 2011, and the outcome was Deap Vally, a new band that’s an L.A. girl power reincarnation of the Black Keys that will release their proper debut this October with “Sistrionix”.

While the comparisons to the aforementioned rock bands are inevitable with their straight up garage blues, what’s distinctive for Deap Vally is the sexy sassiness that’s unavoidable when confronting tracks like, “Bad For My Body” and “Gonna Make My Own Money”. The opening steady ominous riff of “End of the World” sets the tone for what’s to expect from these valley girls. Their image of short J-orts, big hair, and tank tops goes hand in hand with Lindsay’s loose rock chords and Julie’s head banging cymbal crashes. The carefree rock and roll attitude intentions seem less as a front and more of a coping device with their sympathetically vulnerable lyrics. The duo balances embracement of relatable regret on a song like, “Walk of Shame” and then turns the tables of pointing the finger right back on “Lies”.

Deap Vally’s message is clear; rock out or get out of their way. “Sistrionix” is produced by Lars Stalfors, a west coast engineer guru with an eclectic ear who’s been behind the wheel of prominent artists like The Mars Volta and Matt & Kim. Lars’s fingerprints are all over “Sistrionix”, capturing the raw guitar fuzz while never coming off as too overproduced. Nothing is groundbreaking or genre bending with Deap Vally, and that’s the point. They’re simply honoring the tradition their idols Iggy Pop and Joan Jett laid down before them, and they do so proudly. “Sistrionix” is available in the US on October 8^th.

Photo By Tim Snow