Laurel Canyon - "Victim"

Older folks continue to lament the slow death of guitar music. They’re not wrong, as it’s prominence in the mainstream has waned, but if you look in the right places, you’ll find those diamonds in the rough who are carrying the torch for the next generation. Laurel Canyon, a new duo based out of the Lehigh Valley, are one of those sparkly gemstones looking to keep the six-string from going the way of the Brontosaurus. Similar to New York City’s Hello Mary, Laurel Canyon is young, but they’re already well-versed in the principles of good grunge.

Over the weekend, I saw an Instagram video of Laurel Canyon performing at a dive bar in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I attended college in a neighboring town back in the mid-aughts, and if my memory of frequenting similar watering holes serves me correctly, those bar patrons probably didn’t know what hit them when Laurel Canyon took the stage. Their live performance had the ferocity and ear-blistering guitar vigor of Frank Black on speed. Is this Mark Arm and Steve Turner blowing the roof off of City Gardens in 1991? No, it’s a couple of Gen Zers channeling the spirit of what made bands like Mudhoney exceptional, but they're undoubtedly doing them justice. That brand of energy definitely translates well on the recording for “Victim,” which is the title track of their forthcoming EP. The song is hard hitting, but also oscillates seamlessly between loud and quiet, with bursts of terrifying fuzz, howls, and a cacophony of distortion and guitar noise that swells until it overflows.  

You can purchase “Victim” on Bandcamp or stream it on your platform of choice. Keep up with Laurel Canyon by following them on Instagram.