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Under the Spell of Joy

by Death Valley Girls

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $10 USD  or more

     

  • Cassette + Digital Album

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    Includes unlimited streaming of Under the Spell of Joy via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 250  13 remaining
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      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD housed in a CD wallet.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Under the Spell of Joy via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    3 remaining
    Purchasable with gift card

      $14 USD or more 

     

  • Limited Edition Cause and Effect Color Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Repress of 1000 copies on Cause and Effect color vinyl. The LP includes an 11x17 insert and a download card.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Under the Spell of Joy via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Limited Edition Silver Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    SOLD OUT. THANK YOU.
    Limited edition of 300 copies on Silver vinyl. Suicide Squeeze Records exclusive. The LP includes an 11x17 insert and a download card.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Under the Spell of Joy via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Limited Edition Gold Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    SOLD OUT. CHECK RETAIL.
    Limited edition of 1200 copies on Gold vinyl. The LP includes an 11x17 insert and a download card.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Under the Spell of Joy via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Limited Edition Magnetic Lodestone Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    SOLD OUT. CHECK RETAIL.
    Repress of 500 copies on Magnetic Lodestone vinyl. The LP includes an 11x17 insert and a download card.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Under the Spell of Joy via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • LP TEST PRESSING - RARE
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Test pressing version of Death Valley Girls' Under the Spell of Joy LP. Extremely rare collectible - only 10 in the world!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Under the Spell of Joy via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Hypnagogia 04:57
2.
Hold My Hand 02:41
3.
4.
Bliss Out 03:23
5.
Hey Dena 03:42
6.
The Universe 04:33
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

about

While singer and multi-instrumentalist Bonnie Bloomgarden and guitarist Larry Schemel knew their intention for the album before a single note was written, the actual nature and direction of the music was a mystery. The initial inspiration for the record came from the jubilant spirit of Ethiopian funk records the band had been listening to on tour, but once they began to channel the songs it seemed like the music came from somewhere not in the past but in the future. In the weeks leading up to recording, Death Valley Girls relied on their subconscious and effortlessly conjured Under the Spell of Joy’s eleven tracks as if they’d tapped into the Akashic Chronicle and pulled the music from the ether.

The album opens with “Hypnagogia,” an ode to the space between sleep and wakefulness where we are open to other realms of consciousness. The song slowly builds along a steady pulse provided by bassist Pickle (Nicole Smith) and drummer Rikki Styxx. Tripped out saxophone bleats from guest player Gabe Flores swirl on top of the organ drones laid out by guest keyboardist Gregg Foreman. The band’s choral objectives for Under the Spell of Joy are established right off the bat, with Bloomgarden’s melodic invocations bolstered by a choir, giving the album a rich and vibrant wall-of-sound aesthetic. The song ominously builds on its hypnotic foundation until it opens up into a raucous revelry at the four-minute mark. The portentous simmer of the opening track yields to the ecstatic rocker “Hold My Hand,” where verses reminiscent of Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting For The Man” explode into big triumphant choruses. From there the band launches into the title track, which marries the griminess of The Stooges with an innocence provided by a children’s choir chanting the album’s primary mantra “under the spell of joy / under the spell of love.” Death Valley Girls have always vacillated between lightness and darkness, and on “Bliss Out” they demonstrate their current exuberant focus with a patina-hued pop song driven by an irrepressibly buoyant organ line laid down by keyboardist The Kid (Laura Kelsey). A similar cosmic euphoria is obtained on “The Universe,” where alternating chords on the organ help elevate soaring saxophone and keyboard lines out beyond the stratosphere. If you’re looking for transcendental rock music, look no further.

credits

released October 2, 2020

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all rights reserved

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about

Death Valley Girls Los Angeles, California

Booking US:
Space Agency-
joey@spaceagencybooking.com

Booking Europe/UK:
U Turn Touring-
buzz.uturn@gmail.com

Press contact:
Andi Wilson - Terrorbird andi@terrorbird.com

UK Press:
Stereo Sanctity-
Frankie Davison
frankie@stereosanctity.co.uk
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