Speedy Ortiz’s Guitarist Is Leaving The Group, So They Put Out One Last Track Together

The indie rock favorites of Speedy Ortiz are moving from a quartet to a trio with guitarist Devin McKnight leaving the band. As a tribute to him and his time with the group, they have released a new track called “Screen Gem,” the final Speedy Ortiz song that McKnight will be featured on. Listen below.

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“Screen Gem,” which according to frontwoman Sadie Dupuis, was “made almost 2 years ago, on [her] birthday back in 2015,” is a fast-paced track with plenty of McKnight’s guitar hooks signature to the band’s unmatched sound. The song itself seems to be about an obsession with wanting to be noticed by someone. As Dupuis sings out “I’m monomaniacally trying to be somebody starlike to you / In the following sequence, make me your screen gem,” her voice is perfectly complemented by McKnight’s guitar, a sound she says “spent so much of [her] songwriting life actively attempting to rip off.”

By request of McKnight, all proceeds for the track will go towards the #CLOSErikers organization, a New York City based campaign inspired by the infamously violent Rikers Island Jail Complex, which seeks to end mass incarceration and reform the criminal justice system in the city and nationwide. Read more about #CLOSErikers here.

Moving forward, Speedy Ortiz will be joined by guitarist Andy Moholt of Laser Background in place of McKnight.

Here is Dupuis’ full statement from Twitter about the track and her appreciation for McKnight as a bandmate:

“if you’ve been lucky enough to play in a band with Devin McKnight, you know you’re a better musician for it. and since i’ve spent so much time of my songwriting life actively to rip off devin’s guitar playing (srry dev), i feel very lucky for the years we got to have him in speedy ortiz. sadly for us those years have come to an end. but lucky for everyone, devin’s already put out 1 solo record this year as dirwin magic jansen, and is playing shows fronting his new band Maneka (yes that’s RIGHT we all finally get to see devin sing outside of doing nu metal at karaoke)

here’s the last unreleased speedy song devin recorded on. we made this almost 2 years ago, on my birthday in 2015! John Agnello recorded and mixed it at Guilford Sound in guilford, vermont and Chad Clark mastered it at silver sonya. at devin’s very wise suggestion we are giving the proceeds this month to #CLOSErikers, read more about it here: https://www.closerikers.org/

we’ll be joined by Andy Moholt of Laser Background on second guitar for all future shows, including tomorrow’s set at West Fest Chicago 2017. thank you everyone and thank you for everything devin, platinum platinum platinum platinum.

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