Kevin Bronson on June 18th, 2013

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As the band name has gotten shorter, the legend of L.A. quintet Dignitary grows incrementally longer. Originally known as The Dignitary Loss of Richard Roe, and then just Dignitary Loss, the five-piece makes mortality-obsessed rock noir that pairs the splendidly imperfect boy/girl vocals of guitarist Michael Cuenca (ex-The Lips) and keyboardist Amberlie Bankoff, last spotted in the bewitching (but, alas, dearly departed) Black Flamingo. They are joined by guitarist Joseph Halter, bassist Carolyn Schoenburg and drummer Nick Liberatore. Their initial single “Demon, Beside Me” is a thematically and sonically apt introduction, echoing Gothic folk that hints at the dark sides explored by the likes of Nick Cave and X. Wear black.

||| Stream: “Demon, Beside Me”

||| Live: Dignitary plays June 30 at the Down and Out Bar in downtown L.A.