After the results of the 2016 election rolled in, the love-stricken and personal songs that Speedy Ortiz front person Sadie Dupuis had written and the band had recorded for their third LP just didn’t feel right anymore. Instead of reworking what they had, Dupuis went back and started from scratch, writing all new songs over the course of four months that reflect the social politics and protesting ideologies that has been present in the band’s music from day one. The result is Twerp Verse, a selection of 11 pointed, urgent tracks.
Our first taste of Twerp Verse is “Lucky 88,” which hit the internet today along with a video directed by Emily Yoshida. Visually, the video feels like the movie Hairspray in its aesthetic gloss, but taking a turn for the worst when members of Speedy Ortiz find themselves being engulfed by a growing patch of slime. “Our director Emily Yoshida came up with a concept that addresses our reliance on technology and apps that’s so absorbing,” Dupuis said in a statement. “It’s hard to engage with the outside world, even when it is literally being consumed by slime (and, hello, global warming, melting ice, coral bleaching, impending heat death, make no mistake, it IS being consumed by slime).” Check out the excellent song/video above.
Twerp Verse is out 4/27 on Carpark Records. Pre-order it here and check out Speedy Ortiz on tour at any of the dates below.
3/13-16/18 — Austin, TX @ SXSW
4/21/18 — Lansing, MI @ Stoopfest
5/03 — Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
5/05 — Washington, DC @ Black Cat
5/07 — Norfolk, VA @ Charlie’s American Cafe
5/08 — Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
5/09 — Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade — Purgatory
5/10 — Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
5/12 — Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
5/13 — Detroit, MI @ El Club
5/14 — Toronto, ON @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
5/15 — Montreal, QC @ La Vitrola
5/17 — Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/29 — Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s
5/30 — Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
6/01 — Little Rock, AR @ Stickyz Rock’n’Roll Chicken Shack
6/02 — Austin, TX @ Barracuda
6/03 — Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
6/05 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
6/06 — San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
6/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
6/09 — Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club
6/10 — San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
6/12 — Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
6/13 — Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
6/14 — Boise, ID @ Neurolux
6/16 — Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
6/17 — Omaha, NE @ Reverb
6/19 — St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room
6/20 — Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi
