Speedy Ortiz has returned after five long years with their new single “Scabs.” It marks the band’s first new song since 2018 and its first to feature longtime touring members Audrey Zee Whitesides (bass) and Joey Doubek (drums), who are now full-time contributors alongside Sadie Dupuis and Andy Molholt (guitar)
“Scabs” was recorded in the nearly-alien desert landscapes of Joshua Tree’s Rancho de la Luna and El Paso’s Sonic Ranch and engineered and mixed by Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin, who co-produced with Speedy Ortiz. The song’s riffs feel lived-in and playful, pushing between knotty time changes, oddball percussion, and cheeky vocal hooks. “Scabs” reaffirms Speedy Ortiz’s desire to push themselves politically and musically, vital and surprising as ever.
“Living in progressive cities and working in the arts, you meet peers doing tremendous organizing work. And then there are neighbors who signal their ‘good’ politics through yard signs alone,” says Dupuis. “I wrote ‘Scabs’ standing in line at the post office, overhearing customers berate a USPS employee. This was during a time of postal unions-opposed budget cuts and other major issues for mail handlers, which were widely reported on. People advertising their support for essential workers acted conversely when faced with personal inconvenience. The song became more widely about self-designated ethicists who don’t quibble about crossing a picket line for individual benefit.”
The band released a compilation album titled The Death of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker…Forever last year. It features the band’s debut full-length album remastered for the first time with unreleased material.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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