Review: L.A. Witch - DOGGOD

Fourteen years in, the Los Angeles trio returns with a restless third studio album.

Written in just three months and recorded at Motorbass Studio on Rue de Martyrs in Paris - a city that deeply inspired singer/guitarist Sade Sanchez -, the album feels geographically displaced from the sunny, surfy California that influenced their previous works. The signature garage rock and psychedelic riffs haven’t disappeared, they’ve been reframed. L.A. Witch opens up their identity, embedding post-punk influences, electronic textures and gothic energy in a conscious effort to escape silence and avoid predictability.

The pronounced shift in their sound is there, yes, but the core identity remains intact. “777,” the lead single, plunges into a pleasant gothic atmosphere. It is dark, yet sensual. Tracks like “Eye of Love” and “Lost at Sea” lean into gentler introspection. Here Sanchez’s vocals carry a soft melancholy, reminiscent of Hope Sandoval’s delivery in the ’90s. Then there’s the title track, DOGGOD, properly delivering raw energy and getting closer to the band’s early sound. It sounds immediate and unpolished, as a reminder that L.A. Witch can hit hard if they want to.

DOGGOD (this time referring to the album) manages to sound both vintage and contemporary, an unusual achievement. The return is dense and seductive, more than just a comeback after some time away. It’s a statement from a band still figuring out their boundaries, not interested in repeating formulas. L.A. Witch became the haunting themselves, and I mean that in the best sense.

Album Highlights:
Icicle
777
Lost at Sea

Replayability Level: On Repeat