Speedy Ortiz to Play The High Watt May 10 | Hear New Single “Lucky 88”

That Speedy Ortiz would release a new LP in 2018 comes as both a surprise- the band kept uncharacteristically mum throughout the writing and recording process until new single and video “Lucky 88” dropped last week- and an obvious assumption (they were due, as nearly three years have passed since their excellent sophomore effort, Foil Deer). In fact, the band had planned LP3 to drop much sooner, but when they entered the studio in the fall of 2016, front person Sadie Dupuis found too many songs to be personal or lovey dovey, which felt misguided in a post-election world, causing the group to scrap what they had and reincorporate themes of social politics and protest, as they started again on what would become upcoming effort Twerp Verse throughout last year.

Set to drop April 27 via Carpark, the album was mixed by the legendary Mike Mogis and mastered by  Emily Lazar. From the sound of the press release, describing it as an acceleration of “the band’s idiosyncrasy through the wilderness of Dupuis’ heady reflections on sex, lies and audiotape while adding surprising textures like Linn drums and whirled guitar processing to their off-kilter hooks,” and from lead single “Lucky 88,” it appears that we might be in for the most focused, pop accessible (no doubt influenced by Dupuis’ 2016 indie pop solo turn as Sad13), witty, and confident Speedy Ortiz effort to date- and we can’t wait.

According to Dupuis, “‘Lucky 88’ expresses optimism that space can be made for more radical agendas and socialist voices,” and for the video, she says the group wanted “something evil, glossy, cynical, and camp,” adding that “director Emily Yoshida came up with a concept that addresses our reliance on technology and apps that’s so absorbing, 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).”

You can watch the fun and quirky spot below, pre-order the record in digital and physical formats now, and catch Speedy Ortiz live when they return to town for the first time in a couple of years, May 10 at The High Watt! Grab tickets here.

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3/13-16/18 – Austin, TX – SXSW
4/21/18 – Lansing, MI – Stoopfest
5/3/18 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom
5/5/18 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
5/7/18 – Norfolk, VA – Charlie’s American Cafe
5/8/18 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook
5/9/18 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Purgatory
5/10/18 – Nashville, TN  – The High Watt
5/12/18 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean
5/13/18 – Detroit, MI – El Club
5/14/18 – Toronto, ON – The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
5/15/18 – Montreal, QC -La Vitrola
5/17/18 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/29/18 – Lakewood, OH – Mahall’s
5/30/18 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
6/1/18 – Little Rock, AR – Stickyz Rock’n’Roll Chicken Shack
6/2/18 – Austin, TX – Barracuda
6/3/18 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada
6/5/18 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
6/6/18 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
6/7/18 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
6/9/18 – Oakland, CA – Starline Social Club
6/10/18 – San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord
6/12/18 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
6/13/18 – Seattle, WA – The Vera Project
6/14/18 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
6/16/18 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
6/17/18 – Omaha, NE – Reverb
6/19/18 – St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room
6/20/18 – Indianapolis, IN – The Hi-Fi