Since joining all-female punk trio Vivian Girls during the spring of 2007 Katy Goodman’s DIY-style bass playing and drifty-faded vocals have sent waves of adoration rippling throughout Brooklyn’s pop punk circuit. Her newest band La Sera showcases her signature style, bringing her talent for creating dreamy pop songs even more to the forefront. La Sera just finished a west coast tour and had a smashing time at CMJ.
After touring the world with Vivian Girls, releasing a handful of well-received records, and starting record label Wild World with her band mates, Goodman started exploring other outlets. She played in the short-lived dream-pop band All Saints Day in the spring of 2010, and a self-titled limited-edition 7″ of spectral tunes was released on indie label Art Fag earlier this year.
In February 2010 Goodman started working on some fresh material that inspired the formation of her brand new band, La Sera. Her inspiration sprung from an attraction to early pop hits from the 1950’s and ethereal choral vocals. Her new songs contain warm celestial-pop melodies that echo with the dreamlike effect of a church choir and effuse a softer, less aggressive sound than the Vivian Girls.
Recording with a tambourine, guitar, and layers upon layers of heavenly vocals, she started sending her songs to filmmaker/music producer Brady Hall (the director of Vivian Girls videos “Moped Girls” and “When I’m Gone”), who immediately wanted to collaborate and dove into re-recording her rough material himself. After hearing his finished work, Katy flew to Seattle and the two recorded all the vocals, mixed the songs and filmed two La Sera music videos at Brady’s home studio.
The eponymous La Sera is the result of these sessions. With a dozen fresh tracks, La Sera muses on death, love, and love lost within the span of two minute choiral pop blisters. The phantasmic quality of Goodman’s voice takes hold of the contradictorily upbeat “You’re Going to Cry,” while “Dove Into Love” seems to send time into drifting slow motion, enveloped by a wave of guitar strums. The lilting and delicate “Hold,” meanwhile, tells the story of two people hugging each other to death.
LA SERA
01.17.11 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex *
02.01.11 – London, UK – Madame Jojos
02.02.11 – Gent, Belgium – Charlatan
02.03.11 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
02.04.11 – Hamburg, Germany – TBD
02.05.11 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Magstraede
02.08.11 – Oslo, Norway – Revolver
02.11.11 – Berlin, Germany – Monarch
02.12.11 – Cologne, Germany – King Georg
02.15.11 – Dijon, France – La Vapeur
02.16.11 – Lyon, France – Sonic
02.18.11 – Paris, France – Club Folamour
02.19.11 – Bristol, UK – Start the Bus
02.20.11 – London, UK – The Lexington
03.02.11 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom !
03.03.11 – Brooklyn, NY – Bell House !
03.04.11 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s !
03.05.11 – Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel !
03.07.11 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 !
03.08.11 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle !
03.10.11 – Nashville, TN – The Basement !
03.11.11 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl !
03.12.11 – Orlando, FL – The Social ^ !
03.13.11 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum ^ !
03.15.11 – New Orleans, LA – The Parish @ HOB !
* – w/ Screaming Females
! – w/ Tennis
^ – w/ Dum Dum Girls
ls
La Sera
Devils Hearts Grow Gold 7″
(Hardly Art)
Street date: Jan. 18, 2011
A: Devils Hearts Grow Gold
B: Dedicated To The One I Love
La Sera debut album cover
La Sera
La Sera
(Hardly Art)
Street date: Feb. 15, 2011