Photos: Caitlin Starr Releases Sophomore EP SPEED SAVES via G-Foil Records

Melodic punk rocker Caitlin Starr's sophomore EP Speed Saves is out now via G-Foil Records. A concise, honest snapshot of an era defined by speed, tenacity, and the cost of racing to keep up, the New York City singer-songwriter's latest project attempts to catch up with a world whirling around her. This all comes to a head in the EP's centerpiece and new single 'Piece of Clay,' a sweeping orchestral rock ballad that captures the artist's keen balance of vulnerability, drama, and intense, sludgey breakdowns.

Starr, a classically trained jazz pianist and multi-instrumentalist, brought all her composition skills to the table on 'Piece Of Clay.' A raw exploration of identity shaped by forces outside your control, the song explores the ways 'a lifetime of expectations, objectification, and body dysmorphia can make you question whether you're changeable or even yourself,' she says. The song is shrouded in mystery, beginning with a melancholic piano passage before building into a cinematic, orchestra-inspired wall of noise, with the electric guitar sharply mimicking a string section.

'The song grapples with the urge to discard what you've been made into and the pain of realizing the framework that defines your value is hard to escape,' she adds. 'It's about the cyclical return to where you began, despite the furious desperation to be remade. It's climactic and bittersweet, and grand — both vulnerable and inevitable.'

'Piece of Clay' comes with a harrowing new music video that transforms Starr into a video game character, controlled by an invisible force as she moves through what appears to be a classic survival horror setting. Directed by Villacortabuer, it was filmed at Letchworth Village in upstate New York.

Starr says of the filming: 'We filmed it at an abandoned children's asylum; we made sure to be respectful of everything that went down there and could definitely feel an intense, eerie energy. We got shut down by the cops and had to sneak back in the middle of the night. The song is about feeling out of control and not like yourself — in particular, my experiences with eating disorders and bipolar — and being shaped by circumstances in a way that feels so deeply rooted and against your will. I think a lot of us feel this way right now; exhausted, overwhelmed, dysmorphic. When everything's moving so fast and pulling you in a million directions, it's hard not to feel swept up in it and forget who you are. It often feels like a video game where someone else has the controls.'

On Friday, October 16, Caitlin Starr will be celebrating the release of Speed Saves with a live show in Brooklyn, NY. She'll be performing songs from the new EP, as well as some old favorites from 2025's Hold On Tight, at Substance Skatepark. Joining her will be local acts BOYSCOUTMARIE, Adult Human Females, and a third secret guest. Tickets are available now.

Speed Saves riffs on the phrase 'Jesus saves' and 'speed kills,' repurposing it as a commentary on how speed — long hours, multiple jobs, constant motion, racing through the city at full speed, mania, excessive stimulants, chasing validation — can feel like the only way to keep up with the world. The songs trace both the ways that speed has temporarily rescued Caitlin and the emotional and physical crashes that come after, blending piano-rooted songwriting with raw punk immediacy.

The EP was shaped in collaboration: Chris Cubeta produced, Meredith Okamoto served as assistant engineer, Carmen Castillo played bass, and Zach Jones played drums, with Lucy Coykendall performing drums on the track 'Will u b My Girlfriend.' The chaotic, confessional single with a guitar section that outpaces the singer's beating heart spirals from an intense lesbian crush. With its hooky lyrics crusted in grunge instrumentation, the single finds the artist at her most anxious, romantic, energetic, impulsive, and wild.

Other EP highlight 'Pass Me By' slows down the tempo but keeps energy up to a maximum. Sonically, it's melodic and upbeat with heavy riffs and a pop-rock punch: driving drums, crunchy guitars, and a singable chorus that turns feeling left behind into a confident banger. With nothing but her headphones and the comfort of familiar spots in the sprawling urban, Manhattan maze, she captures both stillness and dynamism, sharply contrasting the almost-empty streets with constant movement.

'Cage,' a defiant breakout anthem about being trapped by the circumstances of life and the cages of late-stage capitalism, is cathartic, urgent, and empowering. The single begins with an aggressive, metallic guitar grinding against Starr's melodic vocals. Then, pounding drums kick in, giving the song a harder rock edge with an instrumental section intentionally modeled after a panic attack. 'If you want violence, try it; it gets me off,' Starr grits through her teeth in the chorus; 'You've been lying, hiding your pain from the boss.'

Speed Saves (EP) Tracklisting

01 Will U b My Girlfriend

02 Pass Me By

03 Cage

04 Piece of Clay

05 The Dark

About Caitlin Starr

The 25-year-old NYC native, songwriter and lead guitarist Caitlin Starr returned from northern California in 2022 to chase her musical dreams in Brooklyn's indie scene. She's spent the last 3 years making her name performing in just about every NYC rock club imaginable and touring the country as bassist for Suzy Clue and the punk band Shred Flintstone. As an artist, Caitlin is a freewheeler who defies pigeonholing. Her music is both thoughtful and fierce: she writes with emotional depth and shreds like a rockstar. Her sound channels Belly, the Breeders, Nirvana and other 90s grunge era influences with directly fresh perspective.

Photo Credit: Lauren Davis | Download hi-res image