On Friday, February 13th, 2026, Sub Pop will release Velocity Girl’s ¡Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded), a new reissue of the long out-of-print 1994 sophomore album by the beloved indie-rock band, a few months ahead of its 32nd Anniversary.
On ¡Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded), the album gets an overdue sonic refresh with mastering by Golden, updated artwork by Ed Fotheringham, and a treasure trove of bonus tracks from the ¡Simpatico! era. Today, you can hear the band’s cover of New Order’s “Your Silent Face (2025 Remaster)” from the bonus material associated with the release.
Velocity Girl’s ¡Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded) will be available on CD/2xLP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders in North America at the Sub Pop Mega Mart, in the UK and Europe at Mega Mart 2, and at your local record store will receive the limited Loser edition on opaque jade blue and opaque violet vinyl (North America), or petrol and magenta vinyl (UK/EU). (All vinyl colors whilst stock lasts!)
Velocity Girl formed in 1989 or so at the University of Maryland outside Washington, DC with guitarist Archie Moore (Black Tambourine), guitarist Brian Nelson (Black Tambourine), drummer Jim Spellman (Starry Eyes, Foxhall Stacks, High Back Chairs, Julie Ocean, Piper Club), bassist Kelly Riles (Starry Eyes), and singer Sarah Shannon (Starry Eyes, The Not Its). The band combined English-inspired noisy shoegaze fuzz with scrappy US indie rock and classic ‘60s-style pop songwriting. A killer single on Slumberland and non-stop touring grabbed the attention of the indie-rock cognoscenti, and soon after Velocity Girl signed a contract with Sub Pop on a car hood in Hoboken, New Jersey.
After touring in support of their 1993 debut, Copacetic, the band spent the better part of a year coming up with a batch of songs for a second album. They had never worked that way before – having focused time, and a budget (from a label!), to make an album that wasn’t a self-produced, punk-rock studio thing was a fresh experience. After playing their new material for months in the noisy style of Copacetic, the band found themselves excited about the tunes, but trying to move away from the scrappy, amateur vibe of their previous records. And their influences were a bit different this time around: less My Bloody Valentine and Wedding Present, more New Order.
Somebody at Sub Pop connected the band with John Porter, the one-time Roxy Music member who had produced The Smiths, Billy Bragg, The Alarm, and a bunch of other 80’s stuff. They met up on a tour stop in Los Angeles, at a Hamburger Hamlet. He agreed to produce the album in a three-week session at Cue Studios in Falls Church, VA. He was exactly what the band needed: an editor, arranger, and taskmaster. As he mercilessly excised every unnecessarily repeated bar, the band realized they’d gravitated to a sound with cleaner lines, and almost entirely ditched the noisy guitar, no doubt influenced by Porter’s presence. Velocity Girl was extremely happy with the results, and ¡Simpatico! came out in June of 1994.
This expanded reissue adds eight songs recorded at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA, a few months after the album sessions. These sessions provided playfully experimental B-sides to the album’s singles, two cover songs (the New Order cover “Your Silent Face,” and a Beach Boys cover) for a single on Merge Records, and a compilation track.
Upon ¡Simpatico!’s release, Rolling Stone gave the album a 4-star review, and said, “The very first guitar shriek on Simpatico! slices through any residue left over from the hazier Copacetic, revealing crisp, gleaming pop. On the new album, Velocity Girl add vocal harmonies, courtesy of guitarist Archie Moore, who joins singer Sarah Shannon on several tracks, thickening the weave of spinning guitars and cursive rhythms. As on Copacetic, the textures are heaped on, but the musical lines are less runny, the riffs are sharpened, the hooks grab tighter, and the vocals skate out front. With the help of producer John Porter (Roxy Music, the Smiths – bands famed for their own brand of alterna-sheen), the group manages to mop up the garage-band spills to reveal simple melodic constructions without washing away the music’s defining layers. This record should help Velocity Girl transcend the Lush and My Bloody Valentine comparisons that flogged them after Copacetic.”
Velocity Girl ¡Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded)
1. Sorry Again (2025 Remaster) 2. There’s Only One Thing Left To Say (2025 Remaster) 3. Tripping Wires (2025 Remaster) 4. I Can’t Stop Smiling (2025 Remaster) 5. The All-Consumer (2025 Remaster) 6. Drug Girls (2025 Remaster) 7. Rubble (2025 Remaster) 8. Labrador (2025 Remaster) 9. Hey You, Get Off My Moon (2025 Remaster) 10. Medio Core (2025 Remaster) 11. What You Left Behind (2025 Remaster) 12. Wake Up, I’m Leaving (2025 Remaster) 13. Marzipan - from Sorry Again EP (2025 Remaster) 14. Labrador (Drum Machine Version) - from Sorry Again EP (2025 Remaster) 15. Diamond Jubilee - from Sorry Again EP (2025 Remaster) 16. What You Left Behind (Reprise) - from Echoes of the Nation’s Capitol #2 compilation (2025 Remaster) 17. Your Silent Face - from Your Silent Face single (2025 Remaster) 18. You’re So Good to Me - from Your Silent Face single (2025 Remaster) 19. Seven Seas - from Seven Seas single (2025 Remaster) 20. Breaking Lines - from Seven Seas single (2025 Remaster)
Velocity Girl’s UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded), the definitive reissue of the beloved indie-rock band’s long out-of-print 1993 debut album.
Velocity Girl were one of the leading lights of 1990s indie-pop, fusing the hooks of Britpop with the fuzzy guitars of shoegaze. This updated edition of the album features a new, band-approved mix, plus a full bonus album with singles, outtakes, and the band’s 1993 Peel Session. All of the music has been freshly mastered by Golden Mastering, and the package includes extensive liner notes from the band.
Velocity Girl’s UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded) is available on CD/2xLP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP orders are available in North America at the Sub Pop Mega Mart, in the UK and Europe at Mega Mart 2, and at your local record store. The first vinyl pressing is on opaque red vinyl, limited to 2,000 copies worldwide.
Velocity Girl’s previously announced shows in support of UltraCopacetic for the fall of 2024 include Friday, October 25th in Los Angeles at The Teragram Ballroom and Saturday, November 23rd in Washington, DC at Black Cat.
Velocity Girl formed in 1989 or so at the University of Maryland outside Washington DC, and shortly thereafter settled on the lasting lineup of guitarist Archie Moore (Black Tambourine), guitarist Brian Nelson (Black Tambourine), drummer Jim Spellman (Starry Eyes, Foxhall Stacks, High Back Chairs, Julie Ocean, Piper Club), bassist Kelly Riles (Starry Eyes), and singer Sarah Shannon (Starry Eyes, The Not Its). The band combined English-inspired noisy shoegaze fuzz with scrappy US indie rock and classic ‘60s-style pop songwriting. A killer single on Slumberland and non-stop touring grabbed the attention of the indie-rock cognoscenti of the day, and, following a heated courtship involving both dinner AND dessert, Velocity Girl signed a contract on a car hood in Hoboken, New Jersey, making Sub Pop their home.
In 1992, the band began work on their debut album, Copacetic, at Easley Studios - once home base to the Bar-Kays and other classic soul bands - in Memphis with Bob Weston (Volcano Suns, Shellac) at the helm, and then mixed the album with Weston in Chicago. While the album had strong songs - pop tunes like “Audrey’s Eyes,” “Pop Loser,” and “Living Well” alongside ambitious explorations like “Pretty Sister” and “Here Comes” - the band had little experience with production and lacked the skills to “drive the boat” in the studio. As a result, the album turned out to be a rather stripped-down affair, lacking the lushness of their prior recordings. To the band’s ear it was jarring, and they soon realized this wasn’t the record they hoped to make. Bob Weston had done exactly what was asked of him and captured the sounds, but the band didn’t do its part to articulate a clear vision. But the band’s slot in the studio was over, and Polvo had just showed up to work on their album, so off Velocity Girl went to shoot the video for “Audrey’s Eyes.” Copacetic came out in 1993 and people seemed to like it just fine, but within the band there was a sense of disappointment to the point where most members couldn’t stand to hear the record.
Between then and now, the band learned a lot about recording, and Archie Moore developed a career in audio work, and the band finally decided to revisit Copacetic. After extensive digging, the 2” tape reels appeared in Jim’s ex-wife’s mother’s house, and in the spring of 2023, Archie began working on a remix.
Song by song the new mixes emerged just as the band envisioned them. Soaring vocals from Sarah (who studied opera in college), chiming lead guitar, juicy fuzzed-out rhythm guitars, and clear pounding drums. The pop songs are much poppier. The sonic blasts are more powerful, and the record hangs together as a cohesive document that flows from song to song. The approach was not to make a 2024-sounding record but rather to go back to the 1992 mindset and create the record the band should have made then. The result, UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded), is an exciting alternate history of Copacetic.
And, while they were at it, the band dug up and refreshed the rest of their studio material from the era: Ultraopacetic includes “Warm/Crawl” from the Velocity Girl/Tsunami split 7”, “Creepy” from the Crazy Town 7”, “Stupid Thing” from the Audrey’s Eyes 7”, and the unreleased album outtake “Even Die.” Topping it all off is the band’s complete five-song 1993 John Peel session, including two tracks that haven’t been heard since the original broadcast. UltraCopacetic is truly the definitive version of Velocity Girl’s first record.
Today, August 19th, Bandcamp Dailymade Ultracopacetic its “Album of the Day”and said,“It isn’t your run-of-the-mill re-release with an addendum of cutting-room-floor finds. It’s how this album deserves to sound: copacetic. That goes for all the elements, which juxtapose more richly. The guitars may well be stroked with plectrums made of feathers one minute and attacked with razors the next.”
Velocity Girl UltraCopacetic (Copactic Remixed and Expanded)
Tracklisting: 1. Pretty Sister 2. Crazy Town 3. Copacetic 4. Here Comes 5. Pop Loser 6. Living Well 7. A Chang 8. Audrey’s Eyes 9. Lisa Librarian 10. 57 Waltz 11. Candy Apples 12. Catching Squirrels 13. Warm/Crawl 14. Creepy 15. Stupid Thing 16. Even Die 17. Here Comes (Peel Session version) 18. Always (Peel Session version) 19. Crazy Town (Peel Session version) 20. 57 Waltz (Peel Session version)
Long out-of-print 1993 debut album by the beloved indie-rock band A remixed, remastered, and expanded edition of the original album, with liner notes, and an album’s worth of bonus tracks compiling singles, outtakes, and the band’s 1993 Peel Session
New Shows include October 25th in Los Angeles at Teragram Ballroom and November 23rd in Washington, DC at Black Cat
Velocity Girl were one of the leading lights of 1990s indie-pop, fusing the hooks of Britpop with the fuzzy guitars of shoegaze. This updated edition of the album features a new, band-approved mix, a full album of bonus tracks compiling singles, outtakes, and the band’s 1993 Peel Session. All of the music has been freshly mastered by Golden Mastering, and the package includes extensive liner notes from the band.
Velocity Girl’s UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded) will be available on CD/2xLP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP Preorders are available in North America at the Sub Pop Mega Mart, in the UK and Europe at Mega Mart 2, and at your local record store. The first vinyl pressing is on opaque red vinyl, limited to 2,000 copies worldwide.
Velocity Girl has scheduled two new shows in support of UltraCopacetic for the fall of 2024, including Friday, October 25th in Los Angeles at The Teragram Ballroom and Saturday, November 23rd in Washington, DC at Black Cat.
Velocity Girl formed in 1989 or so at the University of Maryland outside Washington DC, and shortly thereafter settled on the lasting lineup of guitarist Archie Moore (Black Tambourine), guitarist Brian Nelson (Black Tambourine), drummer Jim Spellman (Starry Eyes, Foxhall Stacks, High Back Chairs, Julie Ocean, Piper Club), bassist Kelly Riles (Starry Eyes), and singer Sarah Shannon (Starry Eyes, The Not Its). The band combined English-inspired noisy shoegaze fuzz with scrappy US indie rock and classic ‘60s-style pop songwriting. A killer single on Slumberland and non-stop touring grabbed the attention of the indie-rock cognoscenti of the day, and, following a heated courtship involving both dinner AND dessert, Velocity Girl signed a contract on a car hood in Hoboken, New Jersey, making Sub Pop their home.
In 1992, the band began work on their debut album, Copacetic, at Easley Studios - once home base to the Bar-Kays and other classic soul bands - in Memphis with Bob Weston (Volcano Suns, Shellac) at the helm, and then mixed the album with Weston in Chicago. While the album had strong songs - pop tunes like “Audrey’s Eyes,” “Pop Loser,” and “Living Well” alongside ambitious explorations like “Pretty Sister” and “Here Comes” - the band had little experience with production and lacked the skills to “drive the boat” in the studio. As a result, the album turned out to be a rather stripped-down affair, lacking the lushness of their prior recordings. To the band’s ear it was jarring, and they soon realized this wasn’t the record they hoped to make. Bob Weston had done exactly what was asked of him and captured the sounds, but the band didn’t do its part to articulate a clear vision. But the band’s slot in the studio was over, and Polvo had just showed up to work on their album, so off Velocity Girl went to shoot the video for “Audrey’s Eyes.” Copacetic came out in 1993 and people seemed to like it just fine, but within the band there was a sense of disappointment to the point where most members couldn’t stand to hear the record.
Between then and now, the band learned a lot about recording, and Archie Moore developed a career in audio work, and the band finally decided to revisit Copacetic. After extensive digging, the 2” tape reels appeared in Jim’s ex-wife’s mother’s house, and in the spring of 2023, Archie began working on a remix.
Song by song the new mixes emerged just as the band envisioned them. Soaring vocals from Sarah (who studied opera in college), chiming lead guitar, juicy fuzzed-out rhythm guitars, and clear pounding drums. The pop songs are much poppier. The sonic blasts are more powerful, and the record hangs together as a cohesive document that flows from song to song. The approach was not to make a 2024-sounding record but rather to go back to the 1992 mindset and create the record the band should have made then. The result, UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded), is an exciting alternate history of Copacetic.
And, while they were at it, the band dug up and refreshed the rest of their studio material from the era: Ultraopacetic includes “Warm/Crawl” from the Velocity Girl/Tsunami split 7”, “Creepy” from the Crazy Town 7”, “Stupid Thing” from the Audrey’s Eyes 7”, and the unreleased album outtake “Even Die.” Topping it all off is the band’s complete five-song 1993 John Peel session, including two tracks that haven’t been heard since the original broadcast. UltraCopacetic is truly the definitive version of Velocity Girl’s first record.
Velocity Girl UltraCopacetic (Copactic Remixed and Expanded)
Tracklisting: 1. Pretty Sister 2. Crazy Town 3. Copacetic 4. Here Comes 5. Pop Loser 6. Living Well 7. A Chang 8. Audrey’s Eyes 9. Lisa Librarian 10. 57 Waltz 11. Candy Apples 12. Catching Squirrels 13. Warm/Crawl 14. Creepy 15. Stupid Thing 16. Even Die 17. Here Comes (Peel Session version) 18. Always (Peel Session version) 19. Crazy Town (Peel Session version) 20. 57 Waltz (Peel Session version) 21. Copacetic (Peel Session version)
