When Los Angeles’ leading ladies of gnarly party-punk Mika Miko called it quits in 2009, fans of the city’s burgeoning DIY scene seriously lamented the loss. But they should’ve known better — lynchpin sisters Jennifer (vocals, guitar, keys) and Jessie (bass) Clavin were bound to rise up from the muck piled up in the back alley behind their iconic former home base, The Smell.
We heard the first taste of their new collaboration as Bleached all the way back in 2011, the strummier “Searching Through the Past,” and later we learned a bit more about their forthcoming debut album by visiting the siblings in the studio. “What we really wanted to do was explore,” said Jessie at the time, and pretty soon we’ll have the chance to do the same. Their new long-player is due out April 2 via Dead Oceans and will be called Ride Your Heart. Among the influences touted along with the news: the Ramones, the Cars, the Rolling Stones, and Fleetwood Mac. That’s a diverse sampling of classic sounds, but the pair wear ’em well on first single, “Next Stop.” The track is punky but poppy, bright up front with dark undertones, built on a fast beat and topped with vocals that aren’t afraid to stretch out beneath the sun a little.
Bleached, Ride Your Heart track list:
1. “Looking for a Fight”
2. “Next Stop”
3. “Outta My Mind”
4. “Dead in Your Head”
5. “Dreaming Without You”
6. “Waiting by the Telephone”
7. “Love Spells”
8. “Searching Through the Past”
9. “Ride Your Heart”
10. “Dead Boy”
11. “Guy Like You”
12. “When I Was Yours”
