While Sadie Dupuis rose to indie rock prominence as the sassy, axe-slinging frontwoman of Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz, she's since resettled herself amidst the thriving DIY scene of Philadelphia, and come out of it with a solo full-length under the moniker Sad13. Slugger hears her ditching grunge for grooves, and moving away from the realm of crunchy guitar rock into a dream world bedazzled with synthesizers and sugary pop hooks.
It's a striking transition, but not an unsuccessful one. Dupuis' uncanny sense of melody and sharp lyricism remain the anchor to her songs, and she uses her skill with words to make an obvious and unapologetically feminist statement — several, in fact. Whether championing consent as the social norm ("Get a Yes"), recovering from destructive relationships ("Devil in U"), celebrating the safe creative spaces and communities she and her peers have created ("Hype") or tearing down those that propagate misogyny ("Line Up"), Dupuis makes her points, and makes them sparkle.
Recorded in her Philly bedroom over the course of two weeks, Slugger isn't a perfectly polished, radio-ready set of glossy chart-topping pop tunes, but an infectiously fun foray into shimmering, socially conscious synth-pop.
