“Gaslighter” by The Chicks

"Gaslighter" was the last thing the Dixie Chicks released under that name before they became the Chicks in June 2020, the title track of their eighth album, and it lands like a slammed door. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison wrote and produced it with Jack Antonoff, and the title points straight at gaslighting.

It's simple country at the root with layers stacked on top: Maguire's violin, Robison's banjo, Antonoff piling on acoustic and 12-string guitars, piano, keys and mellotron, and Chad Smith on drums alongside him. It has been called fiery, scathing and empowering, and Pitchfork named it Best New Track, with Sam Sodomsky hearing the open-road optimism of the band's early records fused with the sharper power pop of Taking the Long Way.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.