The Dixie Chicks are back and better than ever! The country queens just dropped their first new single in 13 years, “Gaslighter.”
They teased the new track on their Instagram account this weekend with a graphic which explained the song’s title as “a psychological manipulator who seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a group, making them question their own memory, perception or sanity.”
The music video for the new bop begins with audio proclaiming, “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me.” The rest of the video juxtaposes archival black and white footage with full-color footage of the trio.
The chorus takes aim at the titular gaslighter: “Denier / Doing anything to get your ass farther / Gaslighter / Big timer / Repeating all of the mistakes of your father.” Some of the lyrics suggest that lead singer Natalie Maines could be directing these jabs at her ex-husband, with whom she underwent a 2-year legal battle: “Swore that night ’till death do us part / But you lie-lie-lie-lie-lied / Hollywood welcomed you with open doors / No matter what they gave you, you still wanted more / Acting all above it when our friends divorced / What a lie-lie-lie-lie-lie.”
We last heard from the Dixie Chicks in 2019 when they were featured on Taylor Swift’s album “Lover,” providing backing vocals on the emotional song “Soon You’ll Get Better.”
At the time, Taylor praised the Dixie Chicks’ musical influence, and spoke up about the backlash to lead singer Natalie Maines’ controversial 2003 comments on President George W. Bush. “I watched country music snuff that candle out. The most amazing group we had, just because they talked about politics,” Taylor said. “They were made such an example that basically every country artist that came after that, every label tells you, ‘Just do not get involved, no matter what.’”
In 2006, the Dixie Chicks responded to the controversy with their single “Not Ready To Make Nice,” addressing the death threats and heckling that they experienced following Natalie’s comments.
The Dixie Chicks’ new album “Gaslighter” is scheduled for release on May 1, 2020.