Speedy Ortiz – “Tiger Tank”
I’ve expressed before just how exciting Speedy Ortiz is, and not just because they make incredible songs like “Ka-Prow“. The Massachusetts band is exciting because they seemed like their best material was still ahead of them. So with that said, it’s perfect timing that right after releasing a stunning single last week, we get another taste of the band’s debut album Major Arcana. The creeping-then-charging “Tiger Tank” sounds like a pop song having an anxiety attack, and will be the perfect introduction to Speedy Ortiz for many people this summer.
“My mouth is a factory for every toxic part of speech I spew,” sings Sadie Dupuis with a sly, funny quiver. Knotty and unpredictable, the band (yet again) shows there their skill for the unexpected. First with a soaring hook that they almost ambush you with, and then later, with the opposite. In the final moments the band builds to one final big finish, and then right after the drum fill comes — silence that’s almost deafening. It’s as if Dupuis was tossed a ball in the air and it never came down. It’s the sort of cliffhanger that will sound right in the context of the album, and honestly “This album can’t come soon enough” barely registers as a complaint. By itself, “Tiger Tank” is another one of Speedy’s under-three minute gems, and will leave you dying for the whole album while you claw at the play button again and again.
Major Arcana is out 7/9 on Carpark Records.
