If there’s one thing to know about The Chicks, is that they don’t hold back.
If you do recall, the country group, who up until recently were known as The Dixie Chicks, famously came under fire in 2003 when lead singer Natalie Maines spoke about her disdain for then-president George W. Bush. What followed were death threats, boycotts and ultimately being lambasted from the country music scene. After the incident, the group followed up with the release of 2006’s ‘Taking the Long Way’ which earned them several Grammy wins and a whole new fan following. Since then, the group has taken an extended hiatus, and aside from a few side projects, we haven’t had new music from The Chicks in fourteen years. Up until now with the release of the group’s eighth studio album, ‘Gaslighter. ‘
And if that time away made you think that the group distanced from being as political or personal, that’s the farthest from the truth. If anything ‘Gaslighter’ goes even further to make those statements.
On ‘Gaslighter,’ The Chicks worked primarily with producer Jack Antonoff (Lorde, Taylor Swift). While some fans may have been wary about his pop-influence being added to The Chicks’ sound, the music still feels authentically them, but from a slightly more pop-contemporary perspective. Their country roots are present with banjos and fiddles heard, but not nearly as such as in their past work. The production is sleek and programmed, but it’s smooth and with seamless transitions.
On ‘Gaslighter,’ The Chicks do what they do best, and make music that is telling of their stories and shape it to be confessional and yet relatable for its listeners. The album, believed to be inspired by Maines’ divorce, highlights a marriage falling apart and the different emotional phases that come with it. From the initial discovery of the other person, to having to tell her sons about their father’s actions, from the anger, to the tears, it’s all here.
And while there are many songs that pack a punch (Gaslighter, Sleep at Night), the latter half of the album carries the vulnerable, personal and private moments that almost makes it feel like you’re right there watching them unravel (Everybody Loves You and My Best Friend’s Weddings).
But don’t think it’s all tears because by Tights on My Boat, Maines has run out of shits to give, especially with lyrics like “I hope you die peacefully in your sleep/Just kidding, I hope it hurts you like you hurt me” and “will your dad pay your taxes now that I am done.”
The most obvious political track on the album, March, March, is a protest anthem that addresses the many issues in America with references to gun violence, reproductive rights and global warming. The music video, which was released last month, centers footage on the Black Lives Matter movement, ending with a list of Black people killed by police or within the criminal justice system.
The album closes with Hope It’s Something Good and Set Me Free, two beautiful ballads that tell of a lover leaving and reaching for that final feeling of relief that comes at the end of a relationship, especially one that’s gone sour.
The Chicks have worn their hearts on their sleeves many times before, but on this record, it feels like a new layer is being revealed. In their boldest work to date, ‘Gaslighter’ pulls years of pent up emotions that have been bottled up, shaken up, and released for the world to see. In the public eye, and especially as an artist, it’s a bold move to take your deepest stories and experiences and share them with critics alike, to air out the dirty laundry. But The Chicks are no stranger to that game.