Velocity Girl
| Company type | Indie rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 in College Park, Maryland, United States |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. area , United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Velocity Girl was an American indie rock group established in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, primarily active around the Washington, D.C. region. The band issued three studio albums before dissolving in 1996, with brief reunions occurring in 2002 and again from 2023 to 2024.
1989–1996: Origins and initial period
The origins of Velocity Girl trace back to 1989 when Kelly Young (formerly Riles) and guitarist/vocalist Archie Moore (previously of Black Tambourine) met at the University of Maryland and formed a duo. Initially called The Gotterdammacrats, they evolved into Velocity Girl after adding Brian Nelson (also ex-Black Tambourine), Jim Spellman (from High Back Chairs), and lead vocalist Bridget Cross, who joined Unrest in 1990. Their band name was inspired by a Primal Scream B-side featured on the C86 compilation. Following their debut single "I Don't Care If You Go," Sarah Shannon replaced Cross as the lead singer.
After 1993, Velocity Girl developed a melodic sound characterized by clear electric guitar tones and dual vocal harmonies, drawing influence from Rough Trade and Postcard record labels, early Creation Records artists, and the Wedding Present. Their initial releases through Slumberland and Merge Records, along with their debut album on Sub Pop titled Copacetic, exhibited shoegaze elements. The band preferred issuing numerous 7-inch vinyl singles; notably, Slumberland Records was founded in 1989 by members of D.C.-based bands including Velocity Girl. Vocals frequently combined male and female harmonies, with Archie Moore contributing male vocals.
Throughout their career, Velocity Girl toured extensively and released three full-length albums under the Sub Pop label. Their music videos included "Crazy Town" (1993), "Audrey's Eyes" (directed by Phil Harder, 1993), "Sorry Again" (1994), "I Can't Stop Smiling" (directed by Spike Jonze, 1994), and "Nothing" (1996). The group disbanded at the end of 1996 following their final performance titled "The Buzz Bakesale" in West Palm Beach, Florida. Subsequently, Shannon, Riles, and Spellman briefly reunited under the name Starry Eyes, releasing a single EP in 1998. Prior to Velocity Girl's breakup, Moore had formed Heartworms and later collaborated with Terry Banks of Tree Fort Angst to create The Saturday People.
Since 2002: Later endeavors and reunions
In 2002, Sarah Shannon released a solo self-titled album. That same year, Velocity Girl reunited for a performance at the Black Cat venue in Washington, DC on June 9.
Jim Spellman, now working as a correspondent for CGTN, continued his musical pursuits playing guitar in D.C.-based power-pop outfits Julie Ocean and Foxhall Stacks.
Velocity Girl came together once more for the Black Cat’s 30th anniversary celebration on September 9, 2023, followed by a show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on September 30, 2023. Building on the success of these events, they performed two additional concerts at the Black Cat in December 2023 with recently reformed Tuscadero serving as the opening act.
In September 2023, the band announced plans to remix their debut album Copacetic to better capture their original artistic vision. During this process, they discovered alternate versions, cover songs, and previously unreleased tracks which are slated for streaming release. The expanded remix edition titled UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded) was officially released by Sub Pop on August 16, 2024.
Band members
- Archie Moore – vocals, guitar, bass
- Brian Nelson – guitar
- Kelly Young (formerly Riles) – bass, guitar
- Sarah Shannon – lead vocals
- Jim Spellman – drums
- Bridget Cross – vocals (1989–1990)
Albums
- Copacetic (1993, Sub Pop)
- ¡Simpatico! (1994, Sub Pop)
- Gilded Stars and Zealous Hearts (1996, Sub Pop)
Singles & EPs
- "I Don't Care If You Go" b/w "Always" (1990, Slumberland Records/Summershine)
- "My Forgotten Favorite" b/w "Why Should I Be Nice To You?" (1991, Slumberland Records)
- "Crazy Town" b/w "Creepy" (1992, Sub Pop)
- Split release with Tsunami (1992, Sub Pop)
- Velocity Girl (1993, Slumberland Records)
- "Audrey's Eyes" b/w "Stupid Thing" (1993, Sub Pop)
- Sorry Again (1994, Sub Pop)
- "Sorry Again" b/w "Marzipan" (1994, Sub Pop)
- "I Can't Stop Smiling" b/w "Marzipan" (1994, Sub Pop)
- "Your Silent Face" b/w "You're So Good To Me" (1994, Merge Records)
- "Seven Seas" b/w "Breaking Lines" (1995, Heaven Records)
- "Nothing" b/w "Anatomy Of A Gutless Wonder" (1996, Sub Pop)
- Split with Chisel (1996, Shute Records)
- Setting the Night on Fire with Rock and Roll (2023, self-released)
- Incidentals (2024, self-released)
Compilation appearances
- "Clock" featured on What Kind Of Heaven Do You Want? (1989, Slumberland Records)
- Live version of "Blackzilla" on Pre-Moon Syndrome Post-Summer Of Noise (1990, Simple Machines)
- "My Forgotten Favorite" included in One Last Kiss (1991, SpinART Records)
- "What You Say" on Screw compilation (1991, Simple Machines)
- Contribution of "Tales Of Brave Aphrodite" to Fortune Cookie Prize: A Tribute To Beat Happening (1991, Simple Machines)
- Track "Crawl" on Sassy compilation (1992, Sub Pop)
- "Forgotten Favorite" featured again on ...One Last Kiss (1992, spinART Records)
- Holiday track "Merry Christmas, I Love You" on 7-inch Season's Greetings (1992, Simple Machines)
- Included "Crazy Town" on Spin This 2 compilation by Spin magazine (1992)
- Song "I Don't Care If You Go" appeared on DC Space R.I.P. collection (1992, Playhouse Productions)
- Featured again with "What You Say" on The Machines: 1990–1993 compilation by Simple Machines (1993)
- "Not At All" included in Teenbeat 50 release (1993, Matador/TeenBeat)
- Track "Crazy Town" appeared on the Say "Hello" To The Far East compilation (1993, Sub Pop)
- Song "Audrey's Eyes" included in Sub Pop Video Network Program II release (1993, Sub Pop)
- Track "Creepy" featured on the compilation Lime Lizard (1993, Lime Lizard)
- Various tracks appeared across multiple Sub Pop compilations and video programs throughout 1994-1995
- Songs included in CMJ New Music Monthly and Details magazine compilations released in 1994
- Featured on the soundtrack of the movie Clueless released by Capitol Records in 1995
- Tracks included in promotional compilations produced by General Mills and EMI during the mid-90s
- Contributions to numerous alternative and indie rock compilations spanning the late 90s into early 2000s
- Selected songs featured within retrospective collections such as SCORE! Twenty Years of Merge Records and shoegaze anthologies issued by Cherry Red Records through 2016