Speedy Ortiz’s 2013 LP, Major Arcana, was a tour-de-fuzz seized from the ’90s, best suited for those whose comfort foods consist of snark and snide. Lyrically, the record longed for a childhood that the band probably didn’t enjoy; instrumentally, it sounded like the members were competing to see who could destroy their instruments in the least amount of strokes. The record was powerful, and damn good. But it didn’t seem like the band was having all that much fun.
This week, Speedy Ortiz released the short and sweet Real Hair EP. Arriving less than a year after Major Arcana, the EP works best as an exhibit to showcase just how far the band has come in that time. Production wise, Real Hair sounds a leap and a bound ahead of where Major Arcana left off: the guitars are more distorted, Sadie Dupuis’s voice is clearer, and the bass has morphed into a big, rotund beast.
Opener “American Horror” improves in all three of these ways, as well as cashes in on catchy vocal and guitar melodies. The entire track feels like it’s about to come unhinged, and — for the first time — Speedy Ortiz sound like they’re having fun. That mood moves over quickly, however, with Real Hair‘s only real misstep, the sludgy “Oxygal.” Instrumentally, the song shifts through more parts than a Death Star LEGO set, and as a result it’s tiresome to listen to.
Luckily, “Everything’s Bigger” follows, a track with present-set lyrics. Unlike on Major Arcana, Sadie sounds unchained from the past, and her melody on “Everything’s Bigger” is as infectious as her mood. The guitar and bass lines physically lurch, and if their mammoth presence is of any proper measure, everything about this song really is bigger.
Obviously, a four-track EP isn’t going to have the sticking power of a full-length record. But I’d argue that half of the songs here are just as good (if not better) than any song off of Major Arcana. Every element about Real Hair — whether it’s the song or melody writing, or the production — is a step up for the band, and it’s impressive how far they’ve come so quickly. We’ll have to wait for their next full-length to get a better sense of just what direction Speedy Ortiz is headed. But, for now, Real Hair will more than hold us over.
Real Hair