Speedy Ortiz have returned with their first new single in five years. It’s called ‘Scabs’, and it features backing vocals from Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin, who also co-produced the song. Check it out below.
‘Scabs’ is the band’s first song to feature longtime touring bassist Audrey Zee Whitesides and drummer Joey Doubek, who have now joined as full-time members alongside singer-songwriter Sadie Dupuis and guitarist Andy Molholt.
“Living in progressive cities and working in the arts, you meet peers doing tremendous organizing work,” Dupuis said of the track. “And then there are neighbors who signal their ‘good’ politics through yard signs alone. I wrote ‘Scabs’ standing in line at the post office, overhearing customers berate a USPS employee. This was during a time of postal unions-opposed budget cuts and other major issues for mail handlers, which were widely reported on. People advertising their support for essential workers acted conversely when faced with personal inconvenience. The song became more widely about self-designated ethicists who don’t quibble about crossing a picket line for individual benefit.”
Speedy Ortiz’s most recent LP was 2018’s Twerp Verse. In 2020, Dupuis put out the album Haunted Painting as Sad13.
