Review + Download – Speedy Ortiz – Taylor Swift / Swim Fan

cuz now i got a boy in a hardcore band  / i got a boy gets it on to can / then there’s the boy sings those sad songs i like / i got too many boyfriends to see you tonight

Hot on the heels of last year’s “Death Of Speedy Ortiz” comes this new single from  Northampton’s own Speedy Ortiz. Much like its predecessors, the single features sharp-tongued poetry courtesy of Sadie Dupuis (and by the way – what does the song quote above have to do with Taylor Swift? Your guess is as good as mine – musically,  its about as far removed from country pop of its namesake as one could imagine).
Its very tempting to try and place SO into the riot grrl camp, but given that there are 3 boys in the band that seems like an impossibility.  Further inspection of their latest single reveals that it sounds very much like a missing piece from an era dominated by the likes PJ Harvey, Elastica, Liz Phair, Belly, Breeders et al.
The problem is that their overall sound seems a tad too calculated, but while the band may lack in originality, they certainly deliver on quiet/loud front, whether we’re talking about the pounding groove of “Taylor Swift” or Pixies-esque “Swim Fan”.
 
Note –  head over to SO’s Bandcamp page to check out their latest single, EP and material from years past.