Los Angeles (by way of Guadalajara) garage punk trio Le Butcherettes brings an artistic surrealism to their bare bones rock ‘n’ roll that borders on performance art. On stage, Suarez might spend fifteen minutes cleaning things on stage with a feather duster before tearing into another song. She dresses in a style that could be described as Alice in Wonderland via ’90s riot grrrl and that pretty much sums up her stage persona too. (The dusting and cleaning is meant to mock traditional gender roles.) Fake blood often factors in somewhere. Their live shows are unforgettable.

But theatrics are only a part of the group’s story. It’s their propulsive, raw style and frontwoman/guitarist Teri “Gender Bender” Suarez’s moaning, bluesy vocals that are turning heads all over. The singer manages to combine Nina Hagen and Joan Jett with a little bit of Frida Kahlo and a whole lot of Kim Deal.

Le Butcherette’s latest, Sin Sin Sin, is tuneful blues rock animated by bizarre imagery and riot grrrl rage. Produced by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez , the LP calls out famous alpha-male literary figures like Henry Miller and 17th Century philosophers and patriarchy in general. “Leibniz Language,” is a stand out driven by moody, punk-rock organ, and like all the songs on the album, follows a multi-part song structure. “The Actress That Ate Rousseau” has a jazzy streak that recalls The Noisettes, while songs like “Bang!” are a little more direct about rocking your face off.

Photo by Marianne Spellman