The return of The Dixie Chicks continues to be one of the few good things in the world, even when the songs are so, so sad. Martie Erwin Maguire, Emily Strayer, and Natalie Maines’s latest, “Julianna Calm Down,” off their postponed album, Gaslighter, speaks directly to women in harmful relationships. “Julianna, calm down / You know he’s about to leave but don’t panic / Don’t give him the satisfaction that you can’t handle it / Breathe,” they sing. Woman to woman, the Dixie Chicks remind “Julianna,” “Harper,” “Eva,” “Katie,” “Juno,” “Yaya,” “Violet,” “Berta,” “Amelia,” “Naomi,” and anyone else who needs to hear it to “put on your best shoes and strut the fuck around like you’ve got nothing to lose.” And while you’re at it, maybe command someone to fetch the boltcutters. The Dixie Chicks previously blessed us with a music video for the album’s title track, “Gaslighter,” Natalie Maines’s personal middle finger up to her ex-husband, Heroes actor Adrian Pasdar. (His list of offenses includes holding the album hostage to make sure it didn’t invalidate their prenup.) With this new song, bad husbands everywhere are getting a middle finger. Even though Gaslighter, the band’s first album in 14 years, has been pushed from its May 1 release date indefinitely due to the coronavirus, “Julianna Calm Down” brings us one song closer. Tell your downstairs neighbors “sorry,” ‘cause it’s time to stomp to some Dixie Chicks.
