Speedy Ortiz delivers nonchalant feminist anthem, 'Raising the Skate'

Female-fronted rock groups have had quite the year thus far, with 90s punk Sleater-Kinney making its triumphant return and more contemporary bands like Florence + the Machine and Screaming Females announcing new albums.Massachusetts’ own noise punk hero, Speedy Ortiz, is now joining the ranks. Released Feb. 10, Speedy’s latest single, “Raising the Skate” (2015), is an electrifying reintroduction into front woman Sadie Dupuis’ offhand witticisms and the teetering guitar lines that define the band’s repertoire.

Though the track starts out with apprehensive tremolos, the song soon bursts into a familiar riff-driven nonchalance. When Dupuis’ vocals come in, the guitar meekly follows the melody before bounding off into haphazard taglines, another Speedy staple. The song, however, soon breaks the formula of juxtaposed riffs with a harmonized post-chorus section and, later, a quiet interlude in which the vocals take precedence again.Drummer Mike Falcone, whose playing style can be described as almost impossibly natural, throws in spontaneous syncopations and monster drum fills as if he could nail them in his sleep. The impressive swagger of the music is matched by Dupuis’ articulate lyrics.

Toning down the cryptic tone typically found in the band's lyrics, the song advocates for female empowerment, with Dupuis asserting herself over those who question her authority as a woman.Earlier in the month, she opened up to Fader magazine: “It’s crazy frustrating seeing women and girls, myself included, put in positions in which they have to shirk credit for their talent or otherwise risk getting dissed as overbearing and b----y.” Preach, sister. In solidarity with other icons of feminine power, Dupuis even borrows a line from Queen Bey herself in the chorus, candidly announcing, “I’m not bossy, I’m the boss.”

While 2013’s “Major Arcana” was a breeding ground for wry self-deprecation, “Raising the Skate” reflects the attitude of a band who has been around the block and promises unabashed confidence in its upcoming album, “Foil Deer” (2015), set for release on April 21.