GET TO KNOW: SPEEDY ORTIZ

Coming to Eclectic this Friday at 10 p.m, is indie rock band Speedy Ortiz. Featuring bass player Darl Ferm (Wesleyan ’12), the band is a blend of thoughtful lyrics and 90s sensibilities, and are coming with great anticipation.

Named after a character from the cult comic book series Love and Rockets, Speedy Ortiz began as the solo project of singer and guitarist Sadie Duplass, now a graduate student of poetry at Amherst. Her output began in 2011 with an EP (Cop Kicker) and a full length (The Death of Speedy Ortiz). She then added Matt Robidoux on guitar, Mike Falcone on drums, and Matt Altieri on bass the next year for the single “Taylor Swift” and the Sports EP on Exploding in Sound Records. In 2013, they released Major Arcana to critical acclaim and replaced bassist Matt Altari with Wesleyan grad Darl Ferm.

Clearly a product of the 90s indie rock scene, with guitars loudly crunched and souls totally bared, Speedy Ortiz, sonically, falls somewhere between Sonic Youth (they toured with Thurston Moore) and Pavement (which they have all admitted to growing up on) in sound. There is an emphasis on lyrics and personality that they insist isn’t seen in current bands today.  

Speedy Ortiz is now touring the Northeast while Duplass works on her master's degree, and are currently signed to Carpark Records. Stand out tracks include “Tiger Tank,” “Taylor Swift,” and “Basketball,” but nearly all of their discography is worth a listen (if not multiple).

Be sure to come to Eclectic Friday 11/8 at 10 p.m. to check them out; Burlington, Vermont's Ryan Power and Eclectic's own Neo Sora are opening. It's free!