''¡Simpatico!'' is the second album by
Velocity Girl
Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, and active in the Washington, D.C., area. The band released three albums before splitting up in 1996.
History
The band started as the duo of Kelly Rile ...
. It was released in June 1994.
Compared to the band's debut album ''Copacetic'', ''¡Simpatico!'' showed more traditional indie pop/ power pop influences, rather than noisy
shoegaze tendencies. "Sorry Again" was released as a single (via a CD EP with three non-album tracks, and a 7" with one non-album track). "What You Left Behind" features rare male lead vocals.
Production
The album was recorded at Cue Studios in
Falls Church, Virginia, from December 27, 1993, to Jan 15, 1994. It was produced by John Porter.
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Critical reception
''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' wrote that "the group manages to mop up the garage-band spills to reveal simple melodic constructions without washing away the music's defining layers."Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' wrote that ''¡Simpatico!'' "has some great tunes but less of the atmosphere that makes the first album so riveting."The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' wrote: "Cleaner sounding and better focused, ''Simpatico!'' leaves behind the cacophonous lullabies of the band's early sound, largely derived from the dream-pop of such British bands as My Bloody Valentine."Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' called the album "classically styled near-British pop."Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' deemed it "pleasant to the point of blandness," writing that "''!Simpatico!'' is like a grungy Cranberries — without the hits."
Track listing
# "Sorry Again"
# "There's Only One Thing Left To Say"
# "Tripping Wires"
# "I Can't Stop Smiling"
# "The All-Consumer"
# "Drug Girls"
# "Rubble"
# "Labrador"
# "Hey You, Get Off My Moon"
# "Medio Core"
# "What You Left Behind"
# "Wake Up, I'm Leaving"
References
{{Authority control
1994 albums
Velocity Girl albums
Sub Pop albums