Subtlety isn’t Kim Theory’s strong suit. High schoolers, after all, have a way of getting straight to the point. Together for a little more than a year, the all-girl quartet has garnered attention from local and national media outlets in a remarkably short span even in this era of social-media saturation, performing at all-ages venues and house parties around Los Angeles. First-generation riot grrrls Bratmobile got wind of the group, reposting a Kim Theory cover of “Gimme Brains” to its Instagram page and inviting the girls onstage for a sold-out show this past summer.
Enter veteran L.A. scenester Paul Roessler (Screamers, DC3, 45 Grave), who produced Kim Theory’s self-released Bitch Scene at his Kitten Robot Studios. The EP surveys an appealing middle ground for the young band that falls somewhere between punk’s ragged demarcations and indie rock’s more melody-focused flair. One would assume the Donnas and the Runaways are obvious inspirations.
If you happen to be in Pasadena, Calif., this weekend, Kim Theory is hosting an all-ages release party for Bitch Scene on November 15. Here’s more on the EP from Audrey Cymone (vocals), Lula Seifert (guitar), Lucy Fraser (bass) and Zoey Su (drums).
—Hobart Rowland
1) “He Said She Said”
Cymone: “A song about not caring about the perceptions of others—and just doing things for yourself.”
2) “Child Star Teenybopper”
Seifert: “A love letter to people who take themselves too seriously.”
3) “Wish You Were”
Fraser: “We wanted to write something a bit heavier—it was during an improv session. Then we just took the bits we liked and put them together.”
4) “Growing Pains”
Su: “This one is about our fear of getting older and kind of grieving our childhood selves and being unsure if they’d be happy with the person we are today. It’s about not wanting to change during a time when everyone seems to be different than what they once were.”
