There once was a girl named Kickball Katy, who played bass in a Pitchfork-endorsed garage-punk outfit from Brooklyn. She was very pretty and redheaded, and tall and tattooed. She and her mates were the Vivian Girls (oh, the highbrow reference to outsider artist Henry Darger!) and they were unstoppable. That is, until evil stepsister Best Coast stole their drummer and ran away with their hazy, lazy, Spector-crazy shtick. Then Katy came to L.A., got a Zooey haircut and tried to rebrand herself as cottony songstress La Sera (oh, the highbrow shades of Antonioni). And then, horror of horrors, Katy went on an indie cruise, poured Champagne on her breasts for a photographer and instantly became an internet sensation, the “Vivian Girl Gone Wild!” Oh, the indignity … Anyhow, the Vivian Girls have a new album back (one track, “The Other Girls,” is particularly good) and they play at the Echo on Sun., May 1.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.