This story is featured in CityBeat’s Sept. 20 print edition.
Speedy Ortiz has been a household name in indie rock for the past decade. Their 2013 debut Major Arcana was critically acclaimed and featured the heartfelt single “No Below.” With lively compositions and thoughtful lyrics that foreshadowed frontwoman Sadie Dupuis’ future as a published poet, Speedy Ortiz exploded onto the scene. They’ve opened for acts like Foo Fighters and Liz Phair and played festivals like Primivera and Bonnaroo.
Even as they blew up, Speedy Ortiz has made a point to keep live music and musical expression accessible. They’ve often prioritized all-ages venues, and have donated some of their tour proceeds to the Girls Rock Camp Foundation.
The band followed Major Arcana with 2015’s Foil Deer and 2018’s Twerp Verse. Earlier this summer, Speedy Ortiz announced the release of their fourth studio album, Rabbit Rabbit. The long awaited album came out Sept. 1 on Dupuis’ label Wax Nine.
Rabbit Rabbit is packed with heavy, angular guitar, pop melodies, shifting time signatures and playful percussion. It feels timeless and sophisticated in its confidence. But the album also feels nostalgic, perhaps because it continues to deliver the same sort of sound that Speedy Ortiz began perfecting 10 years ago.
Dupuis pairs sweet harmonies with a grungy, energetic, alt-rock performance. The poet delivers heavy lyrics through these singable melodies, touching on emotional processing and “early family stuff,” according to an Aug. 30 interview with the New York Times.
“The scary thing is I’m like, ‘Well, where could I possibly go after that?’” Dupuis told the Times. “This is my deepest, darkest, you know, most painful thing that I’ve wrung out. For the sake of a 13-track album.”
Speedy Ortiz plays MOTR Pub at 8 p.m. Oct. 4. Info: motrpub.com.
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This article appears in Sep 6-19, 2023.