Speedy Ortiz – ‘Rabbit Rabbit’ album review: an endearing but one-note ode to 2000s alt
For over a decade now, singer-songwriter Sadie Dupuis has released home-recorded music under the name Speedy Ortiz. Alongside solo studio work, Dupuis has been collecting band members to flesh out her live show, and together, they’ve taken to stages alongside the likes of Foo Fighters and Liz Phair. Now, Speedy Ortiz finally lends its name to the full band on record as Dupuis welcomes her touring bandmates into the studio for her fourth album, Rabbit Rabbit.
Named after Dupuis’ early use of “rabbit rabbit” as a coping mechanism for her struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder, Speedy Ortiz’s latest offering widens the scope of the soloist’s previous work. Rabbit Rabbit features denser soundscapes and broader influences, particularly from 1990s indie rock and Y2K alternative. The record could easily form the soundtrack to a coming-of-age film from the 2000s.
This feeling is evident from the album’s opening track, ‘Kim Cattrall’, which is, fittingly, named after the actor who played Samantha Jones on Sex and the City in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Between clean drums and controlled guitars, Dupuis’ bright, characteristically alternative vocals take centre stage. She declares, “Today is magic, and nothing can stop its plans”, with all the optimism of the cool girl protagonist in a noughties chick-flick.
Most of the album retains this sonic idealism, stemming from Dupuis’ desire to pay tribute to the bands who inspired her to pick up a guitar in the first place: “As I was channelling scenes and sentiments from decades past, I wanted to honour the bands I loved when I first learned guitar, ones that taught me to get lost in the possibilities of this instrument.”
This rose-tinted nostalgia seeps into the sound of the album. In the bubblegum-punk sound, the polished but excited guitars, and Dupuis’ over-accented vocals, you can feel Dupuis’ love of the sounds and scenes she aims to pay tribute to. The alternative scene of the 2000s is the most overpowering influence, as bassist Audrey Zee Whitesides explained: “I hope we captured the total joy I get when I hear bands like that.” The record certainly channels that sound throughout, which unfortunately means it can feel quite one-note sonically.
Dupuis does seem willing to delve into darker, more contemplative places lyrically on Rabbit Rabbit. On ‘Scabs’, for example, she contends with those who place individualism over the collective power of unionism, while ‘You S02’ grapples with a scene of punks who refuse to commit to the punk ethic. Between sickly sweet instrumentals, Dupuis provides commentary on the current state of the music industry and of the world.
When she’s not taking on societal issues, Rabbit Rabbit finds Dupuis looking inward. ‘Cry Cry Cry’ is a particular highlight – the first track on the album to break the sonic optimism, it begins with whispered, eerie vocals that declare, “Pressure, power, fire, beware, rabbit, rabbit, meet me out there”. This section is repeated throughout the song, accompanied by potent drums. Between the urgent, anxious refrains of “rabbit rabbit”, Dupuis deals with her fears surrounding tears, asking, “Do I still deserve my sanity?”
By the end of the record, Dupuis’ words seem to have caught up with her sugary alternative sound. On Rabbit Rabbit’s closing track, the wailing, dense guitar-driven ‘Ghostwriter’, Dupuis declares, “Tired of anger”.
She explained, “I turned 33 while writing this album, a palindrome birthday and a lucky number associated with knowledge. I wanted to mark how I was making better choices as I got older, letting go of heedless anger even when it’s warranted.”
Rabbit Rabbit is an ode to the alternative scenes of the past, particularly those Dupuis grew up around. It combines bright and clean production, spirited vocals, and guitar-driven soundscapes with Dupuis’ contemplative words to form a 2000s movie soundtrack for a contemporary audience.
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