New supergroup Speed Stick have released their second single, “Protect Your Magic,” after announcing their debut album Volume One for January 22 release via Don Giovanni Records. The project is an experimental rock collaboration between Ash Bowie of Polvo, Charles Chace of The Paul Swest, Laura King of Bat Fangs and Thomas Simpson of The Love Language.

“Protect Your Magic” is an improvisational instrumental track that starts out with a funky guitar groove that falls somewhere among the likes of other recent bands like Black Midi and Black Country, New Road. The second half turns into looser territory with some free jazz saxophone and matching drums. King and Simpson’s rhythm section is equally as much of a lead instrument as the guitars, noise, effects and sax throughout the track. There’s a lot of attention to detail behind the groove considering that the song stemmed from a 25-minute long improvisation between Chace and Bowie.

The music video is equally abstract, with distorted colors, superimposed layers and constant motion. Birds flying, sped up concert footage, wall painting and a close-up of a cat baring its fangs are all sights seen throughout it, adding to the “fever dream” atmosphere that drummer/director Laura King was going for. 

She said about it, “This was my first attempt at making a video. I think it was easier to piece together being that it’s an instrumental song. If it had words I felt like it would have needed a ‘story’. I felt inspired to create a video that would give the feeling of a fever dream or possibly what it might be like to pass over to the next life seeing visuals that made no sense along with fleeting memories only a brain powering off might see. Not in a downer way, but in an uplifting way where time makes and shifts memories in this, ‘life is short’, long life.”  

Speed Stick’s debut single was “Knots,” a steadier song with a dark vocals and shuffling drums. It features both members of R. Ring, Kelley Deal (also of The Breeders) and Mike Montgomery.