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The Flytraps - Female of the Species
Ryan Riffe directed the video for Female of the Species by The Flytraps which comes off the album Wild Card, that will be released on the 20th March 2020 via Burger Records & Outro Records.
The Flytraps are a four-piece garage rock / altrenative rock group from Los Angeles, California, USA. They consist of Elizabeth Boyd on lead guitar, Kristin Cooper on vocals and bass, Chloe on rhythm guitar and Fabian on the drums.
Links: Facebook | Bandcamp
The Flytraps-TEQUILA WAVE
The Flytraps - Baby's A Freak
Album Review - The Flytraps: Wild Card
Wow, Riot Grrrl music isn’t dead!
“Wild Card,” the debut album from Orange County Riot Grrrl band, the Flytraps. There is a lot to like here. This album moves at a breakneck pace, clocking in at just under thirty minutes; it is manic, explosive, and tons of fun. There really isn’t much else to say, so let’s dig into the album.
The album explodes into life with the searing title track “Wild Card,” in which the lead singer expresses how she’s, well, a wild card. It quickly goes into “Baby’s a Freak,” where the frontwoman explains her kinks. The third track, titled “Female of the Species” is a highlight on the album, the machine gun drum work and the fuzzy guitars are loud, lightning-quick, and just smack you right in the face with their attitude, quieting down just enough for the frontwoman to warn the listener that the female of the species is more deadly than the male. There are twelve tracks to sift through on this album, but it’s a punk record, you know what you’re getting, most of the songs bleed into one another, and it is a bit difficult to tell them apart from one another, but like I said, it’s an album full of energy and this album goes from zero to sixty and doesn’t stop to let you catch your breath.
I want to shift focus and discuss the overall sound of this album. This album is deeply rooted in its nineties riot grrrl aesthetic, drawing influence from bands such as L7, Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, The Slits, and Sleater-Kinney, to name a few. I wish the Flytraps would have done more to differentiate themselves from said bands, instead of sounding like a tribute act, but this is a debut album, and I am interested to see where they go and how they evolve in sound and as a band.
“Wild Card” is a solid punk album that is dripping with nostalgia and will easily take you back down memory lane. I can’t really find anything terribly wrong with it other than that it leans too heavily into its influences, to the point where they don’t really move the needle and push the sound forward. If this is the kind of music that speaks to you, go ahead and give this album a listen. Some tracks are worth checking out more than others, but it is a fun, scrappy punk record.
Overall, “Wild Card” by the Flytraps gets a solid 3.5 rotations out of 5. A bit derivative and over-reliant on nostalgia for its influences, but a solid first effort and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.
Tracks to check out
Wild Card
Female of the Species
Third Eye
Sunset Strip R.I.P.
Takin’ It Back
THE FLYTRAPS : FEMALE OF THE SPECIES
6/4/18 - Interview with So-Cal Band, The Flytraps (www.brodydallechronicles.com)
Originally posted June 4, 2018 and appearing on www.brodydallechronicles.com.
© 2018 TRSB (Sam Bone)
The Flytraps on Opening for The Distillers, All Their New Fans & Tequila
By Sam Bone
Social media is fucking amazing and, in some cases, can lead to ‘mind-blown’ moments—Checking out a live show for a band that’s piqued your interest, combined with the option to stalk prey on social media like a salivating, hungry wolf, circling a potential kill.
The story goes that this is how Brody Dalle wrangled up the Los Angeles-based band, The Flytraps. Understanding and enjoying a band and then metaphorically passing on notes with scribbled hearts along with “Call Me” underneath, eventually led to the band being tapped to open for The Distillers reunion and return to the stage after 14 years.
In a nutshell and to recap:
Iconic female-fronted punk band from the 2000’s reunites and announces a short, six-date tour.
It’s been 14 years since the bands’ members were all in the same room, “plugged in” together.
Most of the tour sells outs 24 to 48 hours after it goes on sale.
Fans ask themselves: is this real life?
I chatted with The Flytraps’ Elizabeth Boyd in early April this year, and to say that she, along with her band, were “boggled” about the request to support The Distillers is a complete understatement; Was it some type of critical error? Was someone playing a super-fucked up prank? Did someone miss hear the word “Flytraps” when the actual band requested was The “Flatjacks?” (If this is a real band in existence, I’m sorry-- Not for the reference to your band, but for the fucked-up name.)
The truth is that they were sought after by Brody Dalle herself. I had to reassure Beth’s palpitating heart that Brody handpicks her support. It’s not an oopsy-doopsy... it’s a female Uncle Sam, pointing at your band attentively while declaring “I WANT YOU.” And, the odds are likely .0748 out of 1,000,000 that Brody Dalle would pluck your band off the Los Angeles Female-Fronted Band Tree.
A few days after the tour concluded and The Flytraps departed Dallas back to Los Angeles, I had the chance to chat with the band about their time with The Distillers, the reception by the sold-out audiences and the band’s promising future.
BDC: Sam Bone | K: Kristin (Lead Vox, Bass) | BB: Beth (Lead Guitar) | FR: Fabian (Drums) | CY: Chloe (Rhythm Guitar)
BDC: To start and in keeping with the current chaos, what are your guys’ current feels and how has that changed since The Flytraps were formed in 2010?
BB: Our sound has changed a lot in the last 8 years and we’ve also had a few lineup changes as well. Compared to some of the old stuff, the songs are faster, heavier, and nastier than ever.
K: Well when we started the band I would say we sounded more like if The Mummies and The Pleasure Seekers had a blood orgy. Now we are more like if Suzi Quatro had KISS as prisoners in her Sex Dungeon. But one thing has been a constant since day one: ROCK & ROLL OR FUCK OFF!
BDC: What was it like touring with The Distillers; how was the reception from their fans?
BB: Touring with The Distillers really seemed to be a turning point for us and it was a crazy experience playing to their sold-out crowds. We got a great response from their fans and definitely made a lot more of our own. We are so grateful to have been invited to open for them and had a great time hanging out with the band and crew.
FR: It was amazing, and the fans were more than we could ask for. Everyone was very welcoming and nice to us.
BDC: Any funny or over-the-top memories you want to share from the tour?
K: It wouldn’t be very smart to reveal how over the top we get… all I can say is we are out-doing ourselves constantly.
BB: Probably a few that shouldn't be shared, haha.
BDC: I noticed that your catalog contains one full-length (She-Freak, 2013) and then sporadic releases of singles/EPs. I know the music business can suck and it’s tough to maximize and stretch a buck; How do you guys handle that and how can you make more money (so us fans know the best way to support you)? How has this changed (-or stayed the same?) since 2010?
K: In the beginning, almost everything we did was self-released and in limited numbers; Recorded in a garage done by us or a friend. We've released several demo albums such as Worst Coast and Demos from the Deep. She-Freak was released by our friend Cumstain and his Oakland-based tape label Slop Bop. Since then we’ve just released a 7” on Outro Records and a 12” EP “Sunset Strip R.I.P.” on our label Power Plant Records, split with our friends from Burger. We have all of this and other weird shit for sale on our website. Also, we will be releasing Vol. 2 of our foot fetish calendar Flytraps Foot Feast this winter.
BB: Buying our merch definitely helps out a lot, especially when we are on tour.
BDC: Keeping about sales, I chatted with Beth off-and-on during April and May, she said you guys sold through merchandise at an unexpected rate at The Distillers shows. That has got to feel awesome. Did you anticipate that level of reception?
CY: No, we didn’t at all-- We ran out of shirts half way through the tour! We didn’t expect so much support.
BB: Wish we had brought more! We sold out of shirts I think before our last show and completely out of vinyl by the end.
BDC: Kristin, I read in an old OCWEEKLY interview that the po-pos used to frequently stop by your old rehearsal space and tell you to simmer it down. If you could run in to those same cops today, what would you say?
K: When the cops would come to our practices they were usually surprised to see me answer the door because we were all beach rats, had no air-conditioning and we would usually be in bikinis. The cops were pretty cool about it. If I saw them today I would probably say SUP?
BDC: What are your thoughts about Burger Boogaloo in June? I mean c’mon now—John Waters, DEVO, Mudhoney and The Mummies! I read somewhere that The Mummies are one of your band’s influences. Have you met them before and if not, are you prepared?
BB: Russell Quan from The Mummies is an old friend of ours. We have played with a couple of his bands before, but this will be our first time playing with The Mummies!
K: We are so stoked to be on Boogaloo this year, it's an insane line-up. You forgot to mention The Damned!! Whoever doesn't have their tickets better get to it because it’s for sure gonna sell out!
BDC: Speaking of insane line-up—how do you handle nerves? Do you get nervous? Do each of you deal with it differently and/or is there that one member of the band who balances everyone out?
K: I get more excited than nervous. Pre- show I’ll get a burst of adrenaline… It’s better than any drug, but drugs can make it even better!
CY: Tequila
BB: I haven't figured that one out yet… Sometimes, on stage, I will just stare at one person until they seem to feel uncomfortable and it will make me feel better.
FR: Booze tons of it. Yeah, I still get nervous before every show, I think we all do. I've noticed I become quieter. Just depends on the head space I'm in.
BDC: Oh, and curious—pre-show rituals? Please explain.
K: Usually passing around a bottle of tequila and praying to our patron saint, Rosemary Kennedy; JFK’s sister who was lobotomized at 23.
FR: Getting all dolled up together.
BDC: I feel that we're all about to witness a real revolution when it comes to female rock musicians, and as a male who happens to be a hardcore feminist, I'm all-fucking-for-it. What are your thoughts on being musicians in this Pussy-Grabber-in-Chief Era? I just read how the Trump admin is cutting Federal funding to clinics who deal with women's health. With the stage as a platform, and girls and guys looking up at you with shimmering eyes, do you feel any obligation to revolt or speak out?
K: Pussy-grabbing has been going on behind the scenes for a long time, in politics and show business. It’s finally coming to light because now is the time for truth and progress. We are so lucky to be born in this current age where we can be ourselves and make our own rules.
BDC: What is next for you guys? What can fans anticipate? What's the future hold?
K: We have a lot of things happening; New videos, more records, more tours. We’re playing a new festival in Twentynine Palms, California in October called The Pilgrimage Campout. Keep a look-out. We're comin’ for YOU!
The Flytraps official website | The Flytraps on Facebook
Certain elements, such as links and photos, may have been removed from the original version of the above article.
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