Rock Like an Egyptian

Death Valley Girls play Luckey's

Bonnie Bloomgarden of Los Angeles’ Death Valley Girls says her band’s latest release, Glow in the Dark (out now on Burger Records), was inspired by ancient Egypt.

“We were asked to play a show for a mummy exhibit,” Bloomgarden tells EW. “These mummies had been in Chicago since 1890 until they came here to L.A. We realized this potentially could be the first time ever that they heard rock ‘n’ roll.”

“What if we had the power to wake them?” Bloomgarden continues. “After we wrote the songs we thought, ‘Well, we’ve got to record them now.’”

And if any brand of rock could wake the dead, it’s Death Valley Girls’ mix-up of punk rock. Gender-bending album tracks like “I’m a Man Too” blend ’50s hot-rod riffs with classic horror movies and vintage girl-group harmonies alongside a playful dose of old-fashioned witchcraft and the occult.

“We all delve into our own aspect of the occult,” Bloomgarden says. “Rock ‘n’ roll is our religion. All of that ties into rock ‘n’ roll history — meeting the devil at the crossroads. It’s just all part of the aura of rock ‘n’ roll.”

Death Valley Girls play with Eugene’s dream-rock outfit Snow White 10 pm Thursday, Sept. 8, at Luckey’s; $5, 21-plus.