Track of the Week

 This week’s track of the week is another one we have Ash to thank for and it’s one that’s been really inspiring me to get back into songwriting this week. By American indie rock band Speedy Ortiz, ‘No Below’ is a very cool, unique sound which almost reminds me of the likes of Bright Eyes and early Girlpool while carving out a sonic profile all of its own. 

The majority of the instrumental is defined by the bands standard rock band lineup. However, they use these instruments in a way which is anything but standard, making use of two guitars for a kind of melodic doubling in different voicings in the first instrumental which is reminiscent of a thicker, more deliberate Girpool guitar and bass duet vibe. One of the main ways Speedy Ortiz show progression throughout this track is dynamically as the instruments grow louder with thicker texture between sections building up to the guitar solo which seems to be the emotional peak of the track. 

Lyrically, it details the relationship between the narrator, their old friend and the subject of the track. One thing I really like about this is that careful choices of language like ‘interred’ allow the songwriting to be clever while still maintaining its no-nonsense attitude. My favourite lyric personally is ‘I’m glad for it all / If it got us where we are’. I feel this line perfectly encompasses the way in which this one lyrically expresses hyper specific feelings in a more relatable, which is one of the most endearing things a songwriter can achieve. 

In short, I would recommend this one to anyone who’s looking for some unusual indie rock to get into, especially if you like the Girlpool indie punk kind of style.