Speedy Ortiz Foil Deer Interview

Speedy Ortiz Foil Deer Interview

When considering Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz, that line from Virginia Woolf comes to mind. Not only for the obvious echoes to DIY, a form and function that's characterized the band's nascency, but in the proto-feminist undertones driving much of their sophomore album, -Foil Deer'. 'I'm not bossy, I'm the boss," Sadie Dupuis sings on 'Raising the Skate," invoking in spirit one half of the Carter-Knowles clan and echoing the other's wordplay. And wordplay makes sense, considering Dupuis"the band's songwriter, guitarist, and front woman"spent the band's first few years teaching writing at UMass Amherst. She's drawn to the dense complexity of Pynchon, the dreamlike geometry of Bolaño, the confounded yearning of Plath"all attributes you could easily apply to the band's 2013 debut Major Arcana, which fans and press alike have invested with a sense of purpose and merit uncommon in contemporary guitar rock.

The group, including Mike Falcone on drums, Darl Ferm on bass, and new addition Devin McKnight of Grass is Green on guitar, have spent the last year on an almost endless cross-continental touring jag, tagging along with the likes of The Breeders, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, and Thurston Moore. That shift into full-time musicianship brought with it an attendant reordering of priorities when it came to songwriting, and the band members' lives in general. They would get the damn flowers themselves.

Dupuis wrote much of Foil Deer at her mother's home in the Connecticut woods, where the songwriter imposed a self-regulated exile and physical cleansing of sorts, finding that many of the songs came to her while running or swimming alone. 'I gave up wasting mental energy on people who didn't have my back," she says. 'Listening to our old records, I get the sense I was putting myself in horrible situations just to write sad songs. This music isn't coming from a dark place, and without slipping into self-empowerment jargon, it feels stronger." Many of the songs deal with a similar sense of starting over, editing out the unnecessary drama. 'Boys be sensitive and girls be, be aggressive," she sings on 'Mister Difficult."

And while their debut album was recorded on the fly, Speedy Ortiz spent almost a month in the studio on Foil Deer. Falcone's drums are taut, mechanistic; Ferm's bass ranges from the aggressive rattle of an AmRep classic to smoother, hip-hop inspired lines. McKnight, meanwhile, lends spacier, textural riffs to complement Dupuis' wiry, melody-driven guitar style. 'The demos for our songs have always had tons of small details and production experimentation, but we never had any money to pay for more than a couple days in the studio, so the songs came out very live-sounding and guitar heavy," Dupuis says. It was recorded and mixed at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room with Nicolas Vernhes (Silver Jews, Enon, Deerhunter), with the record mastered by Emily Lazar (Sia, Haim, Beauty Pill), lending a more polished sound and a pop sensibility that will stand out to existing fans and new converts alike. For all the lyrical complexity and guitar-based excursions Speedy Ortiz have built their reputation on to this point, Foil Deer has a sense of light-footed fun. What's the point of doing things yourself if you're not going to enjoy the trip?

Tracklisting
1. Good Neck - 1:37
2. Raising the Skate - 4:14
3. The Graduates - 3:57
4. Dot X - 3:38
5. Homonovus - 3:18
6. Puffer - 2:46
7. Swell Content - 1:48
8. Zig - 4:32
9. My Dead Girl - 4:22
10. Ginger - 2:38
11. Mister Difficult - 3:36
12. Dvrk Wvrld - 4:39

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Interview with Speedy Ortiz

Question: How would you describe Foil Deer?

Speedy Ortiz: Greater precision, more consideration, wider focus. Keyboards.


Question: How does it feel to hear Raising The Skate on the radio?

Speedy Ortiz: It's really flattering! But honestly I always get totally embarrassed when I hear us on the radio. If a Speedy song starts playing on a station I'm already listening to my face gets totally hot and I have to change the channel straight away.


Question: Did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the music industry?

Speedy Ortiz: I guess we try not to work with anyone who's sheisty, which is a maybe deserved stereotype of the music business. We like working with smaller businesses--like our label Carpark, or our US booking agency Ground Control who we really respect for working with so many female artists--basically, companies that we can agree with ethically. We're wary of aligning ourselves with any organization or brand that has dubious politics. So I guess our pre-conceived idea is: some people are evil, let's try only to work with the good folks. Which is probably why we'll never make a ton of money and never do a sneaker endorsement. Hah.


Question: Do you write your own songs? What's your inspiration?

Speedy Ortiz: Yeah, I write the songs. Inspiration comes from being observational, from scrutinizing myself and the world around me. I used to write more about my personal life. Now I'm writing about a collective personal life--basically, the common struggles I see a lot of my female-identified friend deal with on a day to day level.


Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?
Speedy Ortiz: It changes all the time. This week I've been really into Shamir, Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar, Chastity Belt.


Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Speedy Ortiz: We'll tour a bunch on this record 'Foil Deer.' Hopefully to Australia! I'm writing new songs but not towards any particular album. Gotta wait and see what happens with the current one, I guess.


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Speedy Ortiz: Totally. We toured way too much last year and the band dynamics got toxic. A couple songs on the album are sort of about that. Things are way better now. We're better at managing our time. And also, Devin joining the band was a big help--he is the best dude.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Speedy Ortiz: I've always preferred listening to records over going to live shows, which is probably just because I'm a homebody and can't handle too many people at once. So I really enjoy making albums. But there's a cathartic feeling to playing a live show, and we have a lot of fun gigging. Also it's really gratifying to meet the people who have been listening to your records. That's probably the best part.


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Speedy Ortiz: I'm not sure there was a singular one. I've written songs since I was a little kid. At some point--like, 13 or 14--I started playing those songs at open mics and teen centers and shows in the basement of the local church. And I just never stopped doing that. So I'm sorta here more by happenstance.

Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Speedy Ortiz: Making the decision to quit a University teaching job was a pretty big one. It was really hard to justify leaving such a secure position that I really loved. And I would've continued to make music either way, I think. But it's amazing going on tour for my job and has changed me a lot musically. No regrets there.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Speedy Ortiz: Off tour? Eating popcorn and ice cream cake all day and reading comics. On tour? Sit in a van for hours. Read some. Eat hummus. Play a show. Try to go to sleep early. Ideally not on a linoleum floor (but probably)


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Speedy Ortiz: Like I said, it's incredibly exciting to meet the people who listen to our records. Also, we've gotten to tour with a lot of the artists I spent hundreds of hours obsessing over when I was younger--getting to know those people is totally surreal. We love being a part of a music scene with our friends Pile, Two Inch Astronaut, Krill, and more. And it's been incredibly exciting to see so many amazing female-identified performers take over rock in the past few years--I couldn't be more honored to count Swearin', Waxahatchee, Tacocat, Mitski, Palehound, Potty Mouth and Perfect Pussy among my friends, because they are groups I respect beyond belief.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Speedy Ortiz: I loved the Perfume Genius record last year. I think it'd be amazing to work with Mike Hadreas.


Question: Can you tell us 5 things required for a happy healthy & enjoyable life?

Speedy Ortiz: Water, a little sun (not too much), caring selflessly for someone other than yourself, not taking other people's shit needlessly, lots and lots of garlic


Question: What message would you like your music to say to your fans?

Speedy Ortiz: Hang in there! Stick up for yourself while you're hanging in there!


Question: What is the story behind the band's name?

Speedy Ortiz: It's a character from the comic book series Love & Rockets.


Interview by Brooke Hunter