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Nov 14, 2016 Web Exclusive By Marty Hill

Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz has never been afraid of tackling gender politics within her music. On “Raising the Skate,” from last year’s Foil Deer, Dupuis battled with the accepted narrative of women having to downplay talent for the sake of not being seen as overbearing or bitchy. On her first solo record, Dupuis builds a hypnotic odd-pop world in which consent, gender, and non-male solidarity transcend undertones to become central subject matters. Truly, it’s a record as undeniably fun as it is socially vital.

“I say ‘yes’ if I want to/If you want to you’ve got to get a ‘yes,’” Dupuis affirmatively demands on “Get a Yes.” Slugger isn’t prepared to let anything get lost in translation; this is a record that unapologetically has toxic masculinity in its crosshairs, and it isn’t going to hide that for any kind of validation. “You just throw me ‘round like trash/I’m worth every dime you have,” she declares on “Tell U What,” every chorus proving even more empowering than the last. There’s something innately empowering about radio-friendly (sonically, at least) pop songs, and Dupuis makes the most of that here.

Undoubtedly, Slugger won’t be for every Speedy Ortiz fan. Sonically, the two projects are disparate; this is a record far-removed from Speedy Ortiz’s indie rock blueprint, as Sad13, Dupuis is an unashamed pop artist. You can’t help but think, though, that the Speedy Ortiz fans that take issue with all-out pop gems and in-yr-face feminism are the kind of fans that they don’t want anyway.

Slugger is the kind of pop record that changes lives, and the seriousness of its subject matters fails to hinder the deep-rooted enjoyability of the album. By the time glitchy closer “Coming Into Powers” rolls around, you can’t help but hope that this is one of many Sad13 records to come. (www.sadthirteen.com)

Author rating: 8/10