There’s a new supergroup in town. Say hello to Speed Stick, a merging of musical minds with Polvo’s Ash Bowie, Bat Fangs’ Laura King, The Love Language’s Thomas Simpson, and The Paul Swest’s Charles Chace. They’ve been secretly working on their debut album under the moniker. It’s called Volume One and it’s due out January 22nd via Don Giovanni.
Volume One came together in an unusual fashion. Originally, Speed Stick only consisted of two drummers. As such, they busied themselves by distributing studio tracks to select musicians, in hopes that those musicians would be inspired enough to put their own spin on the songs. Luckily for them, most everyone they sent music too was interested in collaborating.
If the core members of Speed Stick weren’t a big enough deal already, then take a look at the guest features they landed: Mac McCaughan (Superchunk), Kelley Deal (The Breeders, R. Ring), Mike Montgomery (R. Ring), and Stuart McLamb (The Love Language).
Luckily, Speed Stick sound as awesome as their roster suggests. On their debut single, “Knots”, Speed Stick use a weird, distant drum beat to introduce some seriously angular guitar, fuzzed-out riffs, and the wavy vocals of a Kelley Deal guest feature. It’s catchy enough to tap along to, but weird enough to keep you guessing what comes next. Stream it below.
Pre-orders for Volume One are currently ongoing, including a special clear vinyl variant. Peep the album artwork and complete tracklist after the jump.
Volume One Artwork:
Volume One Tracklist:
01. Protect Your Magic (featuring Ash Bowie/Charles Chace)
02. Knots (featuring Kelley Deal/Mike Montgomery)
03. Twin Collision (featuring Stuart McLamb)
04. Plants (featuring Ben Felton)
05. And Again (featuring Nora Rogers/Jenny Waters)
06. Lurk On Me (featuring Juan Huevos)
07. SS Grandmama (featuring Mac McCaughan)
08. Let It Shine (featuring Ryan Gustafson)
09. Pretty Sure (featuring Casey Cook/Laura King/Rob Liberti)
10. Spleed Splick (featuring Clarque Blomquist)