Last time had a lyric from Sadie Dupuis stuck in our heads, she was apologizing for being a shithead. But Speedy Ortiz’ latest tune, “Raising The Skate,” carries a different tone, as Dupuis declares “I’m not bossy I’m the boss,” a line that’s been picked up by numerous media outlets for its empowering message without any suggesting that it might be a shout out to Sinead O’Connor’s 2014 album (spoiler alert: it’s probably not).
Either way, “Raising The Skate” is a sharp piece of rock, angling and grooving in Speedy’s signature style before an exhausting avalanche of sound crashes down. “If you wanna row you better have an awfully big boat,” Dupuis warns, before the roof tumbles around a repeated “Bahhhhhhhh-oat” — a part that’s sure to become an immediate favorite in the live show.
Dupuis shed some light on the song’s subject to Fader, which premiered the track earlier in the week, writing: “It’s crazy frustrating seeing women and girls, myself included, put in positions in which they have to shirk credit for their talent or otherwise risk getting dissed as overbearing and bitchy. Being ‘the bigger person’ and letting others’ petulant behavior slide doesn’t always make you feel big. Sometimes you have to respect yourself by telling a toxic hanger-on to get lost.”
Listen to “Raising The Skate” below, and take note: Speedy Ortiz’ new LP Foil Deer drops April 21 via Carpark, and the band kicks off a lengthy spring tour the next night at the Sinclair in Cambridge with the oh-so-hot-right-now lads of Krill.
Bahhhhhhhhhhhh-oat.
Speedy Ortiz tour dates:
02/12/15 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison (Red Bull Sound Select) *&
04/22/15 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair *&
04/24/15 – Hamden, CT @ The Space *&
04/25/15 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *&
04/26/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *&
04/28/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo *!
04/29/15 - Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop *!
04/30/15 - Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle *!
5/1/15 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency *!
5/2/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry *!
5/3/15 - Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s Oasis *!
5/4/15 - Champaign, IL @ Highdive *!
5/6/15 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat *!
5/7/15 - Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter *
5/8/15 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room *
5/9/15 - Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
5/11/15 - Tampa, FL @ The Crowbar *
5/13/15 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa *
5/14/15 - Houston, TX @ Walter’s Downtown $
5/15/15 - Austin, TX @ Red 7 $
5/16/15 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada $
5/21/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo $
5/22/15 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room $
5/23/15 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium $
5/25/15 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios $%
5/26/15 - Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt $
5/27/15 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza $
5/29/15 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court $^
5/30/15 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge $^
5/31/15 - Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room $^
6/1/15 - Columbia, MO @ Rose Music Hall $^
6/2/15 - St. Louis, MO @ Firebird $^
6/4/15 - Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory $^
6/5/15 - Toronto, ON @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern $^
6/6/15 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le “Ritz” P.D.B. $^
7/17/15 - Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival
* w/ Krill
& w/ Mitski
! w/ Two Inch Astronaut
$ w/ Alex G
% w/ Broken Water
^ w/ Palehound