The Chicks are Back And Better Than ever With "Gaslighter"

(Nashville, Tenn; July 17, 2020) - The Dixie Chicks have news to share! They have re-invented themselves into an even more powerful and relevant band that stands up for equality and what is right. Throughout their music career, Natalie Maines, and sisters Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Strayer have reflected their own lives as well as the lives of many through their music and are changing the world with one hit single, or album, at a time.

The Chicks dropped the “Dixie” part of their name in late June of this year. They did this because they wanted to be conscious of the negative connotations that the word has and the historical meaning that it represents. The connection to the antebellum South and the days of the Confederation and slavery were not something that these strong women represent.

The name change of this powerful band is not the only new news they have to share! The Chicks just released their eighth studio album, “Gaslighter,” today. The band stated on their website that they “want to meet this moment.” And between changing their name and staying relevant with naming their album “Gaslighter,” they truly are keeping with the times and showing their support for equality.

This song and album, “Gaslighter,” hits very close to home for The Chicks. For the first time in a long time, Natalie Maines looks closely at her relationship with her husband and analyzes the effects it has on her life. Maines admits in a podcast that she “was just in [her relationship] and dedicated and devoted, and if [she] had started writing songs about it … [she] was just not ready to open up like that.” Both the song and the album, “Gaslighter” reflect on a type of emotional manipulation that is called “gaslighting.” In the hook before the chorus, the women use their own experiences to describe what a relationship with gaslighting feels like as they sing, “Gaslighter, denier /Doin’ anything to get your ass farther.” 

This song, as well as the album as a whole, is a very personalized way to bring light to the issues in society and the struggle for equality. As elegantly stated by the Chicago Sun Times, this album is “a deconstruction and reconstruction of emotions”- an idea that parallels the intentions behind their name change as well. 

The Chicks’ new album “Gaslighter” comes out today! Listen to it here.

Author: Sophie Grube