Though I’m a bit disappointed the new single by Strange Hotel wasn’t premiered on The Bay Bridged in time for Halloween, I’m glad the band finally released a recorded version of “Witchcraft” to the world. I’ve seen the guys play it live at a number of shows now and it always succeeded in capturing even the shortest attention spans in the crowd, making more than a few think twice before heading off to the bathroom or outside for a smoke break.

The song grapples with a familiar theme in the literature of rock n’ roll – a woman’s mystical, seemingly otherworldly power to bedevil a man, possibly the same witchy woman the Eagles were moaning about in the 70s or the Sonics were yelping about a decade before that. But the only real spell being cast here is the one on the listener. Featuring quite possibly the sultriest groove Strange Hotel has concocted yet, the tune hooks you in from the opening guitar riff and doesn’t let you go until the final crashing chord.

Check it out here, then check it out live as they play Bottom of the Hill next week.