The Flytraps

A raw and raucous female-dominated band (with a male accomplice), the Flytraps make hard-driving music with the sneering attitude and fifth-gear pace of old-school punk, the melodic and lyrical sensibilities of garage rock, and the beefy, overdriven attack of hard rock. Fronted by the gritty howl of singer and bassist Kristen Cooper and the crunchy guitar work of Beth Boyd, the Flytraps first emerged on the West Coast garage rock scene with that side of their sound up front on their debut cassette, 2013's She Freak, but by the time they issued their first proper album, 2020's Wild Card, the lineup had gone through some changes and their music gained plenty of force in the process.

The Flytraps formed in Orange County in 2010, and by the time they cut their debut cassette, 2013's She Freak, for the garage punk label Slop Bop, the all-female lineup comprised Beth Boyd and Marz Riesterer (aka Marz Beeuwsaert) on guitars, Kristen Cooper on bass, and Laura Kelsey on drums. While the band played out steadily, it wasn't until 2017 that they recorded fresh material for their fans, with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Outro+Records%22">Outro Records</a> issuing a three-song vinyl EP (with the songs "All Talk," "He's Been Around," and "Doin' It Right") and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Volcom+Entertainment%22">Volcom Entertainment</a> delivering "Female of the Species" as part of their Digital Singles Club. By this time, Marz Riesterer and Laura Kelsey had left the band, and Chloe Z. Young signed on to play guitar, while Fabian Ruiz made the Flytraps a co-ed operation as drummer. In 2018, the hip West Coast label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Burger+Records%22">Burger Records</a> took notice of the Flytraps, bringing out a four-song 12" EP, Sunset Strip R.I.P. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Outro+Records%22">Outro Records</a> took another chance with the group in 2019 by releasing another single, with an original, "Kitten with a Whip" on the A-side and a cover of <a href="spotify:artist:1WsfEkSfrPIhy1lK7ZLRRH">Rose Tattoo</a>'s "Nice Boys" on the flip, while later that year <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Burger%22">Burger</a> issued the cassette-only compilation Bitches in Boots, which comprised single sides and unreleased takes. In March 2020, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Burger%22">Burger</a> and the Flytraps were in business together again with the release of their first proper album, Wild Card. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi