Partners in crime Lindsay Troy and Julie Edwards put the soul back into rock and roll with a truly inspired debut that is dripping in blues riffs, powerhouse vocals, and stunning exposition.
Everything taken from Deap Vally has elicited all manner of excitable responses usually comparing Troy and Edwards to similar blues-rock duos The White Stripes and The Black Keys, but the duo inspire an almost primal appreciation, going all the way back to the reverb of Heart or even Black Sabbath.
The majority of tracks on Sistrionix can be seen on the two-piece’s premiere EP Get Deap! which was only released earlier this year, and in between visiting our shores in April, the pair have managed to put together a truly powerful debut album, drenched in 70s inspired rock and roll explosions.
Opener ‘End Of The World’ gets Troy hollering ‘Listen up, there’s no time like the present/I said there’s no time like the present, to open up our hearts and let love shine in’. The apocalyptic lyricism matches nicely with the anthemic sing-along of the duo, starting a bedroom dance party right there and then.
What becomes evidently clear by lead single ‘Baby I Call Hell’ is Troy is some kind of Janis Joplin-Robert Plant hybrid, wailing lyrics of destruction and demonstration over Edwards’ thumping beat. Her screams take over, cutting right through her reverb-drenched riffs, and commands attention.
Little ditty ‘Walk Of Shame’ is dirty and fun as Troy sings of feeling ‘no blame’ after a wild night. ‘Lies’ shows off the their angsty side, with a catchy vocal howl taking over a chugging beat.
Stand out number on the eleven-track is the final slow-burner ‘Six Feet Under’ that is in fact two songs in one: the start begins with a drowsy beat and bittersweet lyrics and erupts into a reverb-drenched call for love, showing of Troy’s howling vocal range. Part two of the song is a low-fi sing-along showcasing a soulful touch for the two-piece, backed only by a distant tambourine.
Though commanding and powerful, Sistronix does leave you wanting something more, even if that is something more downbeat and introspective that utilizes the pretty lower-register of Troy’s voice that we only get a hint of in verses here and there on the record.
But it’s a small sacrifice amongst a wonderful debut for the Californian duo that, in more ways than one, reveals there is a serious gap in strong female vocalists out in the rock and roll scene, something Troy and Edwards will certainly remedy with this great release.
