La Sera – Devils Hearts Grow Gold
Lots of buzz around this band, and rightfully so. La Sera is the latest project from Kickball Katy of the indomitable Vivian Girls. After a relatively quiet 2010, it looks like it will be a busy year for Katy and Cassie of Vivian Girls, both have separate side projects, Cassie has a solo record and we’ll get a new record from Vivian Girls. Of the bunch, the upcoming LP from La Sera is the one I’m looking most forward to, especially after this, their second single. Katy is the primary songwriter and singer for this project, which allows her to explore some bittersweet emotions and narratives paired with blissfully sweet melodies. “Devils Hearts” is a perfect example of the style of this new project. There’s something strangely unsettling about the Raymond Pettibon-esque cover for the single. These elderly people look happy, but at the same time, something just doesn’t seem quite right here. However, when it comes to the sound, everything is right with its mix of 60s styled pop and 80s/90s C86 twee.
As a bonus (and a clear sign of the whole sweet/sour vibe of the group) here’s the video for the first single “Never Come Around” shot with a definite Hershell Gordon Lewis 1970s Horror film aesthetic combined with some Evil Dead absurdity in the ending sing-a-long: