Speedy Ortiz - Foil Deer

‘Foil Deer’ might not literally have the power to disperse into thin air and coat humans with a fine, impenetrable liquid foil for all eternity, but it certainly feels like it’s an unbeatable and a far more assertive kettle of fish - or rather, deer - than the band’s debut. Stuck behind someone on a coach who won’t stop thrashing around and tousling their hair into your face? Accidentally pour yogurt onto their foot. Unlucky enough to get on an already-packed train on the same day as the “could you move down inside the carriage’ convention’s monthly outing? It’s time to enjoy coughing freely in your intruded-upon personal space, blessing them with your latest bout of the common cold in the process, with this album blasting into your lug’oles.

Wild dreams of sci-fi transformations aside, there’s something inherently empowering and bullshit-banishing about ‘Foil Deer’ from the very beginning. ‘Raising The Skate’ busts right into the joint, slamming the door open in a deft demonstration of intent, and from then on, things are playful and self-assured, with the wheels firmly skating in the same direction. ‘The Graduates’, regaling tales of stoned receptionists and ducking out of French class to smoke cigarettes on the balcony isn’t exactly whimsical - not with a un-oiled beast of a chorus that big, anyway - but Sadie Dupuis’ lyrics are more waggish than anything she’s ever written before, the melodies craftier, more complex. Along with the monumentally lurching guitar solos we’ve come to expect as standard from Speedy Ortiz, there are unexpected Gary Numan keyboards peering from behind the scenes with a smirk, subtle sprinkles of vocal manipulation throwing light and shade. A second album bursting with its own personality, Speedy Ortiz have poured everything onto an album all over again. A snarling, twisted, mischievous creation, ‘Foil Deer’ is a leaping, high-spirited joy of a record.

Tags: Speedy Ortiz, Reviews, Album Reviews