Rabbit Rabbit

by Speedy Ortiz

Overview

Like a lot of people, Speedy Ortiz's Sadie Dupuis had the time to examine her life and feelings more closely than ever before during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Unlike a lot of people, her reflection led not only to an emotional breakthrough but an artistic one as well. Rabbit Rabbit, her band's fourth album, turns up everything vital to Speedy Ortiz's music by several notches -- the odd meters, the engaging hooks, but most of all, the disarming honesty. For the first time, Dupuis examines the abuse she suffered as a child and its aftermath in song, and it roots Rabbit Rabbit in gripping authenticity. The articulate lyrics that sometimes acted like a shield on previous Speedy Ortiz albums now feel like a lifeline. When Dupuis sings "Don't wear a ponytail/If you can help it, don't go alone" in a near-monotone on "Who's Afraid of the Bath," it's far more unsettling than a scream would be; "Brace Thee" traces the breakdown of old coping mechanisms ("All the shapes you backed me into/An outline I cannot shake off"); and "Ghostwriter" questions "how to move on" over guitars that fall somewhere between storming and jubilant. Dupuis' confessions rarely take a straight path. She's just as likely to take the scenic route, as on "Emergency & Me" ("I'm so embarrassed/I danced around my ethics") as she is to crystallize them into brilliant one-liners on "Plus One" ("call me when you need a plus zero"). The novelistic detail in lines like "Falling in love with L.A./Where the cars cut you off from the right lane" (from "You S02") only heightens the impression that the band's songs are actually short stories in disguise. Rabbit Rabbit's music is just as eloquent at expressing the slippery mix of anger, fear, disgust, and self-aware humor that lingers after trauma. Working with Illuminati Hotties' Sarah Tudzin as co-producer and engineer, Speedy Ortiz give their sound a hi-def makeover that's in sharp focus but far from simple; songs like "Kim Cattrall" are awash in sonic details and sprawling guitars that are held together with heroic doses of melody. This is some of the band's heaviest music, in both senses of the word. "Ranch vs. Ranch" borrows teeth-rattling riffs from the alt-metal that soundtracked the group's teenage years. They couple those surging guitars with eerie electronics to striking effect on the climactic "Cry Cry Cry," where Dupuis confronts her discomfort with crying like a showdown with a big bad. Moments like these make Rabbit Rabbit the work of a band willing to push themselves to the limit. Untangling Speedy Ortiz's hyper-detailed words and sounds is always time well spent, but these fierce, surprising songs are some of their most satisfying work yet. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	09/01/2023
Label:	Wax Nine Records
UPC:	0679628036786

Tracks

1. Kim Cattrall
2. You S02
3. Scabs
4. Plus One
5. Cry Cry Cry
6. Ballad of Y & S
7. Kitty
8. Who's Afraid of the Bath
9. Ranch vs. Ranch
10. Emergency & Me
11. The Sunday
12. Brace Thee
13. Ghostwriter

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Speedy Ortiz   Primary Artist
Anna Arboles   Vocals
Joey Doubek   Bells,Drums,Shaker,Spoons,Tambourine,Synthesizer
Devin McKnight   Guitar
Darl Ferm   Guitar
Sadie Dupuis   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Tambourine,Synthesizer,Drum Machine,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String)
Audrey Zee Whitesides   Bass,Delay,Piano,Vocals,8-String Bass,Guitar (Acoustic)
Sarah Tudzin   Vocals
Andy Molholt   Organ,Piano,Vocals,Vocoder,Mellotron,Wurlitzer,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String)
Ram Cantu   Vocals
David Catching   Lap Steel Guitar

Technical Credits

Joey Doubek   Group Member
Speedy Ortiz   Producer
Sadie Dupuis   Artwork,Composer,Engineer,Group Member,Additional Production
Jesse Weiss   Engineer
Chris Allgood   Mastering
Audrey Zee Whitesides   Group Member
Sarah Tudzin   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Andy Clarke   Engineer
Jon Russo   Engineer
Andy Molholt   Group Member
Ram Cantu   Engineer
Emily Lazar   Mastering