MBC Chats: Dead Witch – New EP

The world spins fast but Dead Witch spin faster, not even a year after their first single the band are soon to release their debut self-titled EP. It’s a true testament to the bands’ commitment to music and, moreover, each other.

It’s fair to say that Dead Witch has played a big part in the revival of big-riff, fuzzy rock ‘n’ roll here in Sydney, and seem to have a lot of fun doing it. We caught up with the band this week and were lucky enough to find out what makes the proverbial Dead Witch clock tick ahead of their headline show at Waywards.

Speaking on the whirlwind that 2022 has been for the five-piece so far, the group had a few favourite memories from the year. “So many [memories]! Getting to spend a dream weekend down at Stranded Studios in Bellambi recording our debut was amazing for us” explained singer, Jaimee Taylor-Nielsen.

“Learning so much about the recording process and recording all the instruments live made it such a huge vibe. The guys running Stranded, Bowen and Cody, made the whole experience feel like camp.” Any session that produces good music has a bit of riot too, right? ‘We had a bit of a big night down there as well that resulted in memories that still crack us up (…and a couple of minor injuries).’

The bands’ success is a testament to the above; hard work and friendship melting together to create something beautiful. “It’s pretty special to be able to do something creative and have so many incredible experiences together.” They said. “We don’t take it for granted, it’s definitely added this other layer to our friendships, and our understanding of ourselves, and each other.”

Musically, Dead Witch takes cues from the Runaways, Nice Biscuit, Fleetwood Mac, Stonefield, and L.A. Witch. The EP is a love letter to their influences, yet remains keenly true-to-self. “The EP is a bit of a melting pot but is ultimately a great introduction to Dead Witch. It features our two punchier rock singles, ’15 Dennies’ and ‘Starfucker’, plus two more longer-form songs, ‘La Nina’ and ‘Falling in Line.’” Said Jaimee. “The two new songs are these more undulating jammy psych journeys… we love playing them live and are really excited about having them on the record.”

We’re very lucky to be hosting Dead Witch on the 18^th at Waywards. It’s always a special moment seeing the five-piece grace the stage and captivate audiences. In a mix of emotions the band are both excited and nervous ‘So excited! Also nervous lets be real. Playing to hometown crowds is simultaneously super special and also sometimes we get in our heads about it…’ They said.

‘We could let the imposter syndrome take over but that’d be pretty boring of us hey. Shows are getting way more fun as we get more under our belt and having familiar faces in the crowd is killer. It also usually means there’ll be a good kick on.’

Come down to Waywards on the 18^th and get amongst it with a killer line-up including support from Magic Machine, Liquid Zoo and Itchy & The Nits. It’s bound to be one of the biggest local shows of the year! Tickets here.