It’s been over 10 years since Speedy Ortiz shared their debut album, Major Arcana. Now, the beloved indie quartet is paying homage to the record with a 10th anniversary reissue featuring remastered versions of the songs, due out on November 17th. Listen to the first preview — a remastered version of “Tiger Tank” — below.
Major Arcana became an indie hit when it dropped in 2013, with Consequence’s Katherine Flynn writing at the time that Speedy Ortiz had masterfully utilized older sounds and styles, while still offering something entirely new and compellingly raw. “This is the real deal, ripped from notebook pages, the torn, frilly edges still hanging on,” Flynn wrote.
For her part, Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis explained that the album is teeming with the energy of the band’s early, DIY days. “Speedy made Major Arcana in a flash of momentum — four days of recording at Sonelab with our pal Justin Pizzoferrato, paid for with the cash we scrounged up on a summer tour of this country’s basements,” she said in a statement. “’Tour tight’-ness was always our paramount goal, and I’d say we were sufficiently road-tested when we hammered out these fourteen songs, all of them stuffed to the brim with harmonies, guitarmonies, percussion, key overdubs written on the fly.”
Continuing, Dupuis touched on the emotional potency of Major Arcana, and how the songs have grown into snapshots of the band members’ lives: “Though the 10 songs that made the album have morphed and mutated thanks to the stages they’ve graced across the past decade, when I listen back to the original recordings, I still hear our boundless energy, hunger for the highway, and excitement to play with our friends — and our dearest wish, to pay homage to the Massachusetts scenes that welcomed us so warmly.” Pre-orders for the reissue of Major Arcana are ongoing.
All of this arrives as a new era is coming into fruition for Speedy Ortiz. Earlier this month, they shared their first new album in five years, Rabbit Rabbit, and embarked on a sprawling world tour, which will stretch into Spring 2024. Get tickets here.
In August, Speedy Ortiz — who are now based out of Philadelphia — spoke with Consequence for our Crate Digging series. Be sure to check out the 10 Philadelphia records they think every music fan should own. Dupuis also appeared on a recent episode of The Spark Parade to nerd out over Ghost World.
Major Arcana (10th Anniversary Edition) Artwork:
Major Arcana (10th Anniversary Edition) Tracklist:
01. Pioneer Spine
02. Tiger Tank
03. Hitch
04. Gapser (1995)
05. No Below
06. Gary
07. Fun
08. Cash Cab
09. Plough
10. MKVI
Speedy Ortiz 2023-2024 Tour Dates:
09/29 – Savannah, GA @ Lodge of Sorrows #
09/30 – Birmingham, AL @ TrimTab Brewing Company #
10/01 – Memphis, TN @ Growlers #
10/03 – St. Louis, MO @ The Sinkhole (w/ Stuck) #
10/04 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub #
10/06 – Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant Street #
10/18 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat @
10/19 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel @ %
10/20 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook @ %
10/21 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Purgatory @ %
10/23 – Miami, FL @ Gramps @ %
10/24 – Winter Park, FL @ Conduit @
10/25 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa @
10/27 – Houston, TX @ Black Magic Social Club @
10/28 – Austin, TX @ The Parish (Levitation) @
10/29 – Denton, TX @ Andy’s Bar @
10/30 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger @
11/01 – Phoenix, AZ @ Last Exit @
11/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo @
11/06 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop &
11/08 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall &
11/09 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza &
11/10 – Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown &
11/11 – Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt &
11/13 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux &
11/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge &
11/16 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall &
11/17 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown &
11/18 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck &
11/19 – Des Moines, IA @ xBk &
11/21 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle &
11/22 – Detroit, MI @ Lager House &
12/16 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
02/16 – Manchester, UK @ Night & Day
02/17 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
02/18 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug & Pint
02/19 – Birmingham, UK @ Sunflower Lounge
02/21 – Southampton, UK @ Joiners
02/22 – Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store
02/23 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
02/24 – London, UK @ Moth Club
02/26 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
02/28 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
02/29 – Amsterdam, NL @ Doka
03/01 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown
03/02 – Groningen, NL @ Vera
03/04 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn
03/05 – Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang
03/06 – Copenhagen, DK @ Huset Musikcafeen
03/07 – Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree
03/09 – Warsaw, PL @ VooDoo
03/10 – Prague, CZ @ Café V lese
03/12 – Budapest, HU @ Durer Kert
03/13 – Vienna, AT @ Fluc Deck
03/14 – Munich, DE @ Milla
# = w/ Foyer Red
@ = w/ Baths
& = w/ Spacemoth
% = w/ Suzie True
