Seattle-based rock outfit La Need Machine drops their new album, Killer Instinct, following on the heels of their debut album, Home, released in 2020.
Talking about their sound, La Need Machine shares, “We are influenced by the Seattle sound, and original rock and roll artists like Eddie Cochran, ‘60s rock bands like The Who, seminal punk bands like Generation X, and punk and roll bands including Social Distortion. This leads to a mash-up sound that one reviewer called a fusion between the Sex Pistols and Led Zeppelin. We’ll take that as a compliment!”
La Need Machine has decided to donate proceeds from their videos and streams to charities that help people in their community and around the world. The charities they presently support include The Trevor Project, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mary’s Place Emergency Family Shelters, American Nurses Foundation, Tetiaroa Society (Marlon Brando’s non-profit), and Childhaven.
Photo: Mark Francis | Tattoo Artist: Chlorae Baca
La Need Machine’s vocalist, Dawn, is “definitely not straight” and proudly counts herself among the LGBTQ+ community. She loves her ink, loves her art, and pursues her bliss. Welding is her day job, but when the lights go down there’s no telling what she may be up to.
Comprising 10-tracks, Killer Instinct opens with “Herculean Tasks,” rolling out on pop-punk-lite guitars riding a tight rhythm as evocative vocals imbue the lyrics with intense, quixotic savors.
Entry points include the title track, highlighted by a pushing, driving rhythm topped by retro-rock flavors. A sparkling piano and brass accents give the harmonics grand depth and dimensions, while fiery vocals infuse the lyrics with sizzling energy.
“They’re on top of the world now / You and I will rise somehow / For it’s always fight or flight / And that doesn’t make it right.”
“Negative” conjures up suggestions of Pat Benatar, traveling on potent, growling guitars atop galvanizing percussion. Although raw on one level, the song conveys a polished elegance on another level because of its delicious arrangement and flow.
Photo: Mark Francis | Tattoo Artist: Chlorae Baca
Rumbling drums provide the intro to “Fourth Gear,” followed by the tune rocketing off on layers of powerful harmonics, forming a swashbuckling rocker. Whereas “Hot Dog” merges elements of punk, rock, and hints of surf rock into a tasty song with cutting lyrics.
“I wish I was an Oscar Meyer wiener / That’s what I’d really like to be / I know I’m not as hot as Dwayne Johnson the Rock, but / Everyone would be in love with me.”
Speaking about “Hot Dog,” La Need Machine says, “People that claim they are the best at everything usually aren’t. But everyone knows these people because they are always talking about themselves. We call Bullshit.”
The penultimate track, “She Loves Rock and Roll,” pumps out tangs of classic rock, brimming with snarling guitars and scorching vocals, along with a lusciously braying saxophone.
With Killer Instinct, La Need Machine serves up impressive rock and roll, full of oomph, contagious rhythms, and deluxe vocals.
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