by Aimee Lin
Witch Coast’s "Burnt Out By 3PM" truly encapsulates the feeling of being drained with fuzzy guitars and loud, distorted vocals. Although most of the songs are short and fast, there is still a friendly, lingering feeling of the acceptance of weariness. [Jon] Weiss screams most of the songs, and although the lyrics aren't always coherent, the ones we can hear maintain the same lingering energy.
In "The Fiction We Create", Weiss sings, "The fiction we create / It keeps you sane / It keeps you sane / Isn't it strange?", spilling simple truths that are very relatable. Released through Babe City Records, the album and Witch Coast truly are gems of DC. The cassette tape for "Burnt Out" comes with a special foamy finger, and the spooky/kitschy album art is designed by drummer Kevin Sottek, who is also a talented artist.
I first saw Witch Coast play on new year's eve of 2014, and it has been almost exactly a year sine I was entranced by their sound. Their new record has a certain charm (they truly are witchy), and the lo-fi quality induces a dizzy spell of haze and wonder. The album ends with "True East", paying homage to the best coast, and "Waste Away", an upbeat song that describes the moody gloominess of disintegrating.