Nestled at the heart of Speedy Ortiz’s tangled web of riffs are melodies that look like the best moves of pop’s biggest names reflected in a circus mirror. The band’s vocalist and guitarist, Sadie Dupuis, is a writer with a knack for delivering hooks that are sickly, memorable and ever so slightly strange all at once and on ‘Slugger’, her solo debut under the Sad13 moniker, she finds a rich vein of inspiration in the comparatively low-key world of bedroom synth-pop.
Rather than resembling a neon-trimmed ‘Nebraska’, though, Dupuis’ home recordings have a truly ebullient edge to them. These songs brim with clever melodic asides and a blend of DIY fuzz and crisp electronics, lending added punch to lyrics that turn gendered pop conventions on their head with a wry smile and a sharp tongue.
Before anything else, ‘Slugger’ is satisfying thanks to the songwriting acumen utilised in its assembly. There are flourishes here that will rattle around your skull for days after a single spin, with its early singles - <2 and Get A Yes - displaying the unusual trait of appearing brand new and welcomingly familiar all at the same time.
It’s true of most great pop songs that their sugar rushes fill holes we didn’t quite know needed filling, and Dupuis’ complex arrangements do that throughout.
To ensure further investigation, there is also lyrical gold in these hills as Dupuis skewers her subjects in the fewest moves possible. On Just A Friend she shouts out Biz Markie’s song of the same name before dismantling the fossilized, heteronormative idea that women and men can’t engage in platonic friendships, while Devil In U unpicks the abusive relationship dynamic that forces people to temper their own lives so as not to cross arbitrary lines laid down by a partner: “I’m your favourite person, but you don’t approve.”
Get A Yes is the rare pop song about sex that factors consent into its worldview, while the rapper Sammus, fresh from releasing her debut LP ‘Pieces in Space’, adds a verse to the positivity-soaked kiss off Coming Into Powers. “I want a life where I flaunt the facts I like about me,” Dupuis sings. “No one tells me off when I’m exactly who I want.”
‘Slugger’ is close to the pop holy grail: it’s engaging, intelligent and tremendous fun. When its final note fades and the sugar crash sets in, you’ll have no problem pressing play again and cramming another serving into your face.
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