Mark your calendars! Los Angeles’ indie, alt rock powerhouse, Ramonda Hammer, are dropping their first full length album on June 14th and it is sure to ignite a fire, within individuals and within a community of individuals. The album is titled “I Never Wanted Company” and is being released via New Professor Music. We last heard from Ramonda Hammer when they graced us with their 2017 EP Destroyers and we’ve been hooked and patiently waiting for the full length ever since.
The quartet is fronted by guitarist/vocalist Devin Davis, who combines her powerful, haunting voice with messages of self-discovery, growth and struggle to a musical ensemble of indie rock, modern grunge and distortion driven melodies co-created by Justin Geter (guitar), Andy Hengl (bass) and Mark Edwards (drums). Davis and the band have solidified themselves not only as a driving force within the LA music scene, but as members and allies within the LGBTQ+ community also.
In preparation for the album dropping, the band has released the single “Hoax” which takes the listener on an emotional roller coaster of soft melodic riffs to heavy distortion, from pained, chilling vocals to strong empowered howls. “Hoax” has definitely set the tone for the upcoming release and the band had this to say about it and a few other tracks off the album:
“No one is coming! No one!” Davis wails at the end of lead single “Hoax”. On its face, it’s a bleak and almost nihilistic statement – but for her, it’s a call to independence. In the same vain on “Relativity,” she muses, “I want to love myself the most, and still get fucked by you the most.” Meanwhile, “Better View” finds Davis learning the nature of a relationship with a non-binary partner. With her trademark sass, she says “I adore you better when we’re talking shit outside,” and then adds, “and you ignore the effort when I’m on my knees.” Similarly on the waltz “A Dramatization,” Davis sings, “I did a hard thing, but you don’t get hard now.” Davis explains: “Those are pretty sexual things. I don’t write lyrics about sex too much, but it’s an important part of attraction, understanding identity, and the difference between hetero and queer relationships – especially a queer relationship with a person who doesn’t identify with the body they were born into.”
Ramonda Hammer’s new song and album seem to be going deeper and deeper into Davis’ search for identity and understanding and we could not be more excited or supportive of this musical and life journey.
If you’re LA-local make sure to Ramonda Hammer them at their upcoming record release party on June 14th at The Echo. They also have a gig on May 18th at Mercury Lounge in Goleta.
Keep up with Ramonda Hammer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Words by: Desiree
