L.A. Witch: The Garage-Rock Trio Casting Spells from Los Angeles
Some bands are born from passion, but L.A. Witch was born from rebellion. When founder Sade Sanchez was forbidden by her then-boyfriend from playing music with male musicians, she didn't walk away from her dreams — she built an all-female group instead. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 2011, L.A. Witch grew from that spark of defiance into one of the most compelling garage-rock acts to emerge from the city in recent memory.
Sanchez, handling vocals and guitar, joined forces with bassist Irita Pai, a fellow Los Angeles native who shared her vision for something raw, atmospheric, and deeply rooted in the city's musical history. Even the band's name carries a story: their first choice, Witch, was already taken, leading them to the inspired addition of their hometown's initials — a fitting tribute to the place that shaped their sound. Drummer Ellie English later completed the lineup, stepping in after original drummer Crystal Nava relocated to New York City.
The sound L.A. Witch conjured has been vividly described as a "mix of forlorn psych folk, lethargic lo-fi blues and boozy garage rock drones steeped in moody, drugged-out surf reverb." Their influences read like a master class in underground American music — Black Sabbath, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and seminal Los Angeles punk acts X and the Gun Club. Sanchez has spoken warmly about the impact of the Gun Club in particular, describing their sound as "blues-y, twang-y, kind of country, but also poetic and goth-y" — qualities that clearly found their way into L.A. Witch's own musical DNA.
Rather than rushing into the studio, the trio spent years honing their craft on the road, building a devoted following through relentless touring before releasing their self-titled debut album in 2017. Recorded at Hurley Studios in Costa Mesa and mixed in Highland Park, Los Angeles, L.A. Witch announced the band as a genuine force in contemporary garage rock. The album drew widespread critical attention, with reviewers captivated by the trio's ability to channel decades of underground influence into something that felt entirely fresh.
The momentum continued with Play With Fire in 2020, a record that deepened their sonic palette and further cemented their reputation. Around this time, the band also released a deeply felt cover of the Gun Club's Ghost on the Highway, a tribute to one of their foundational inspirations. Touring remained central to their identity, including a 2022 European run joined by guitarist Lauren Andino of Los Angeles duo Tremours, illustrating the community of artists that gravitates naturally toward L.A. Witch's orbit.
Then came DOGGOD in 2025, the band's boldest creative statement yet. Alta Journal's Lisa Nighthawk described it as introducing "a goth new-wave edge into the band's sound: think Hole meets Joy Division, candlelight casting shadows on nine songs with lyrics exploring the razor's edge between devotion and debasement." Released through Suicide Squeeze Records, DOGGOD demonstrated that L.A. Witch is not a band content to stand still, but one that continues to evolve while remaining unmistakably, powerfully themselves.
Over more than a decade of performing, recording, and touring across the United States and internationally, L.A. Witch has built something rare — a body of work as atmospheric and transportive as the city that inspired it, and a legacy that grows more compelling with every passing year.