Velocity Girl share two new tracks from upcoming archival set ‘1989 – 1992’

Velocity Girl are digging into the archives, and the results are just as jangly and heart-swollen as you’d hope. The DC pop underground legends have shared two more tracks from their upcoming compilation ‘1989 – 1992’, a collection pulling together their pre-Sub Pop early years.

STREAM: I Know Exactly What You Mean / I Don’t Care If You Go — out now on all streaming services.

The Story

Getting their start as the 1980s bled into the ’90s, Velocity Girl arose from a new pop underground percolating in Washington, DC and its suburbs — a cluster of bands gathered around the then-nascent Slumberland Records who broadened DC’s punk paradigm with an ear for pop hooks and feedback-drenched racket. Blessed with multiple gifted songwriters, Velocity Girl always knew how to merge euphoric pop melody with waves of noisy bliss and lovelorn ache.

‘1989 – 1992’ covers the band’s pre-Sub Pop years and proves their gift for a tune was there from day one, through several line-up shifts and a string of early releases. Their debut vinyl outing, Clock, finds the band at their darkest — a slice of gothic pop fronted by original vocalist Bridget Cross, later of fellow DC legends Unrest. Cross also sings on the band’s debut single I Don’t Care If You Go, included here with all the b-sides from both the US and Australian 7″ pressings.

The band’s next chapter begins with Cross’s departure and the arrival of Sarah Shannon on lead vocals, first heard on two previously unreleased songs from a 1991 session — including current single I Know Exactly What You Mean. It’s a brilliantly catchy pop tune bursting with the melody and energy the band became known for, and a genuinely thrilling archival find. I Don’t Care If You Go also appears as a digital AA-side, spotlighting Cross and the band’s gentler edge.

Sub Pop and worldwide fame would come calling soon after — but that’s a story for another day. Restored from the original tapes, newly remastered, and featuring extensive liner notes from DC scene scholar John R. Davis, ‘1989 – 1992’ is the comprehensive look back that Velocity Girl has long deserved and their fans have long wanted.

‘1989 – 1992’ track list

1. Clock
2. I Don’t Care If You Go
3. Always
4. Not At All
5. I Don’t Care If You Go (Acoustic)
6. I Know Exactly What You Mean
7. That’s Entertainment
8. What You Say
9. Tales of Brave Aphrodite
10. Forgotten Favorite
11. Why Should I Be Nice To You?
12. Warm/Crawl

Pre-order it here

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