Hear At the Drive-In, Melvins Supergroup’s Menacing New Song ‘Crystal Fairy’

Crystal Fairy is the new hard rock supergroup featuring multi-instrumentalist Omar Rodríguez-López (the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In), singer Teri Gender Bender (Le Butcherettes) and Melvins’ guitarist and drummer, Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover. The band’s new self-titled song, “Crystal Fairy,” offers a rough, guitar-driven sound similar to those bands. Gender Bender showcases her vocal range on the wild tune, from elastic shrieks to a manic spoken-word section.

The whirlwind track previews the band’s self-titled debut LP, out February 24th on Ipecac. In a statement about the album, Gender Bender said the material “just came out like a flying saucer” during a one-day recording session. “It was so impressive to see how all we all experiment with one another,” she added.

In October, Crystal Fairy announced the 11-track set and released “Drugs on the Bus,” a blast of sludgy stoner-metal, and followed last month with the punk-leaning “Chiseler.” The quartet recently announced a run of five concerts, with their debut show scheduled for February 21st in Santa Ana, California. 

The members of Crystal Fairy first united during a joint Melvins/Le Butcherettes tour last summer. Gender Bender regularly joined Melvins to cover Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” onstage, while Rodríguez-López ”“ who previously produced and collaborated with Le Butcherettes ”“ joined for part of the trek. 

“Sometimes, Omar and I would fantasize [about] being able to form a power together,” Gender Bender said in a statement. “Before we knew it, we were writing music in the studio (both in El Paso and L.A.) and birthed a magical little gem that I am extremely proud to be a part of.”