We live in a society that pushes us to go faster and faster, and sometimes stopping can feel almost as scary as carrying on. That contradiction sits at the heart of Speed Saves, Caitlin Starr’s second EP. The New York musician blends melodic punk, 90s grunge and power pop with direct, emotionally vulnerable songwriting.
The title plays on the phrases “Speed Kills” and “Jesus Saves”, turning speed into an unlikely survival strategy. Constantly chasing goals and other people’s approval can keep us afloat, but it can also leave us exhausted and unsure of who we really are. Starr explores these contradictions across five songs that move from euphoria to disillusionment.
The EP kicks off with “Will U b My Girlfriend”, a blast of fuzz-drenched power pop with all the spirit of 90s alternative rock. A thick, punchy bassline straight out of The Breeders’ playbook underpins gritty guitars and a bright, Veruca Salt-style chorus. Beneath all that euphoria, though, lies the insecurity of someone who doesn’t know how to express her feelings. Starr turns a crush on another girl into a whirlwind of desire, nerves and fear of rejection. Her voice sounds carefree, but her mind is racing.
That sense of losing control resurfaces in “Pass Me By” and “Cage”. The former pairs melancholy with heavy guitars to explore the fear of being left behind while the world moves on. The latter takes a more aggressive turn, with heavily distorted guitars and lyrics that rail against the social and economic pressures keeping us trapped. On both, Starr never loses her knack for a good pop melody.
The final stretch reveals the EP’s most vulnerable side. Starr trained as a jazz pianist, and it shows on “Piece of Clay”, a delicate ballad that gradually builds into a wall of distorted guitars. The sound takes on an almost orchestral quality, expanding in a way that recalls Wolf Alice. Lyrically, Starr uses the image of clay to question how much of our identity is truly our own and how much has been shaped by other people’s expectations. When the opening piano returns, it feels as though she hasn’t managed to break free from that mould.
“The Dark” takes that loss of control into the realm of relationships. Over warm acoustic strumming and vocals barely above a whisper, Starr describes how a toxic relationship can turn the hurt inflicted by someone else into self-loathing. The sweet melody, complete with lullaby-like “la-la-la”s, clashes sharply with the rawness of the lyrics.
With Speed Saves, Caitlin Starr shows herself to be a songwriter capable of moving beyond her punk and grunge roots, from the rush of “Will U b My Girlfriend” to the stripped-back vulnerability of “The Dark”. And when the final track fades out, one thought lingers: sometimes, moving at full speed is just another way of avoiding looking inward.
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