The Chicks find hope within heartbreak with Gaslighter

With their first album in over a decade, a new name, and a new superproducer (Melodrama & Lover’s Jack Antonoff), The Chicks feel just as raw and relevant as ever. With Gaslighter, they manage to make an album that’s largely a meditation on divorce and heartbreak feel bright and hopeful.

Jack’s presence may suggest a poppier direction, but the opening title track proves that wrong fairly quickly. “Gaslighter” incorporates the band’s bluegrass roots within a driving beat that’s become his trademark. It’s easy to imagine a version of this track on a Carly Rae Jepsen record, but only The Chicks could breathe this kind of immediacy into it. The song acts as an introduction to the rest of the album in content and in sound.

Not to say that there aren’t some classic motifs here — “Young Man” and album closer “Set Me Free” could have easily fit into 2003’s Home, and “Everybody Loves You” feels like it could have shown up on side B of Fly. But just like “Gaslighter,” the album is at its best when the band is trying new methods of sonic expression. “Sleep at Night” feels like Red-era Taylor Swift, which brings it a swagger that compliments the lyrics. “Texas Man” feels fun and breezy thanks to some help on guitar from frequent Antonoff collaborator St. Vincent. “Hope It’s Something Good” sounds eerily like Kelly Clarkson’s “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” but surely that one’s just a weird coincidence. Right?

All of this would be for naught if the album didn’t have The Chicks’ strongest asset, which is their songwriting. It’s just as stellar as always here, with smart, cutting lyrics throughout. The story of Natalie Maines’ divorce from her husband of nearly twenty years serves as the backdrop for most of the songs, but they don’t let the record feel too dour as a result. In fact, several songs are about taking lessons from the pain and teaching them to others. “Julianna Calm Down,” the second prerelease single, advises young women to be strong in the face of heartbreak, while “Young Man” addresses the challenges Natalie’s sons will face post-divorce. This makes the theme of the album feel multi-faceted instead of being a 45-minute treatise on lost love.

Of course, we all knew this thing would be good; how could it not be? As a near-lifetime fan of the band, I’m happy to see The Chicks return with such a richly produced record full of poignant storytelling. I’m putting my money on an Album of the Year win come Grammy season. Hey, they did it last time they made a comeback, and if “March March” is any indication, many things haven’t changed since 2007.