Velocity Girl

Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, although it was generally known as a Washington, DC-area band. The band released three albums before splitting up in 1996. The band started as the duo of Kelly Riles and guitarist/singer Archie Moore (also of Black Tambourine) in 1989 (the two having met at university), initially going under the name The Gotterdemocrats, becoming Velocity Girl with the addition of Brian Nelson (ex-Big Jesus Trashcan, also of Black Tambourine), Jim Spellman (ex-High Back Chairs), and lead singer Bridget Cross (soon to join Unrest). The band took its name from a Primal Scream B-side which appeared on the influential C86 compilation album. Sarah Shannon joined to replace Cross after the release of the band's debut single "I Don't Care If You Go". While much 1990s rock music featured an abrasive vocal and instrumental style, Velocity Girl's sound, especially post-1993, was more melodic and typically featured "clean" (non-distorted) electric guitar sounds and two-part harmonies; the band described their influences as "the Rough Trade and Postcard labels and some of the early Creation bands".