Nostalgia-core is the hottest thing these days, but Speedy Ortiz have been riding that wave well before it was en vogue. Acts from the '90s like Liz Phair, the Breeders, Pavement and Polvo loom large over their sound, and their newest album (and first in more than five years), Rabbit Rabbit, still feels largely informed by that sound and aesthetic. Hell, even the opening track's title of "Kim Cattrall" feels like a brazenly nostalgia-informed decision. Frontperson Sadie Dupuis' voice isn't the most dynamic, but it's always worked nicely alongside the band's trademark noisy, peppy grunge-pop sound, and it continues to do so here.
Released on Dupuis' own label, Wax Nine, and named after the superstitious monthly incantation (the album happens to be released on the first of September), Rabbit Rabbit is also the first Speedy Ortiz release to feature two touring members — drummer Joey Doubek and bassist Audrey Zee Whitesides — as active participants in the studio. Aforementioned opener "Kim Cattrall" begins with all kinds of distortion before finally getting going 30 seconds in. It's one of the album's catchier moments, though I'm not entirely sure where Samantha Jones plays into it all. Second track "You S02" doesn't remind me much of Joe Goldberg, either, but it's a rip-roaring, joyously melodic number. Following track "Scabs" is also memorable, though its hook may be a bit grating on the first couple of listens. The '90s nostalgia feels even more apparent on "Plus One" and "Who's Afraid of the Bath," as well as the Smashing Pumpkins-esque closing track "Ghostwriter."
Though not without its standout moments, Rabbit Rabbit can sometimes feel a bit too stuck in its comfort zone to convert new listeners. Having said that, the band's snarling, no-nonsense demeanour — not to mention Dupuis being unafraid to tackle heavy topics like childhood trauma and violence — often makes up for the relative lack of sonic diversity. When they do get experimental, they lean more toward emo and post-hardcore textures, like during the first 10 seconds of "Ranch vs. Ranch," while "The Sunday" and the intro to "Emergency & Me" find the band dipping into gothic folk influences.
However, it's the lush, Elliott Smith-esque penultimate track "Brace Thee" that really dives headfirst into their nervy folk-indebted side. It may not be a lights-out album from start to finish (there's no song quite as anthemic as 2015's "Raising the Skate," for example), but Rabbit Rabbit is still another sterling entry in Speedy Ortiz's discography, one that sees the four-piece as strong and defiant as ever.
(Wax Nine)Released on Dupuis' own label, Wax Nine, and named after the superstitious monthly incantation (the album happens to be released on the first of September), Rabbit Rabbit is also the first Speedy Ortiz release to feature two touring members — drummer Joey Doubek and bassist Audrey Zee Whitesides — as active participants in the studio. Aforementioned opener "Kim Cattrall" begins with all kinds of distortion before finally getting going 30 seconds in. It's one of the album's catchier moments, though I'm not entirely sure where Samantha Jones plays into it all. Second track "You S02" doesn't remind me much of Joe Goldberg, either, but it's a rip-roaring, joyously melodic number. Following track "Scabs" is also memorable, though its hook may be a bit grating on the first couple of listens. The '90s nostalgia feels even more apparent on "Plus One" and "Who's Afraid of the Bath," as well as the Smashing Pumpkins-esque closing track "Ghostwriter."
Though not without its standout moments, Rabbit Rabbit can sometimes feel a bit too stuck in its comfort zone to convert new listeners. Having said that, the band's snarling, no-nonsense demeanour — not to mention Dupuis being unafraid to tackle heavy topics like childhood trauma and violence — often makes up for the relative lack of sonic diversity. When they do get experimental, they lean more toward emo and post-hardcore textures, like during the first 10 seconds of "Ranch vs. Ranch," while "The Sunday" and the intro to "Emergency & Me" find the band dipping into gothic folk influences.
However, it's the lush, Elliott Smith-esque penultimate track "Brace Thee" that really dives headfirst into their nervy folk-indebted side. It may not be a lights-out album from start to finish (there's no song quite as anthemic as 2015's "Raising the Skate," for example), but Rabbit Rabbit is still another sterling entry in Speedy Ortiz's discography, one that sees the four-piece as strong and defiant as ever.
