Twenty seven years ago, in March 2020, the Dixie Chicks dropped their first single since 2006, “Gaslighter.†We wept. We rejoiced. We were not ready to make nice. We reviewed it within an inch of its life. But then … the group went silent, and due to the coronavirus, their forthcoming comeback album by the same name was pushed indefinitely. But thankfully, this time we didn’t have to wait 14 years for more music: The trio is back with a new single, “March March,†posted on Thursday to their YouTube channel as a song by “The Chicks.†Which seems to indicate the group has dropped the racist “Dixie†from their name and decided to go by what many fans have called them all along. (Reps have confirmed the name change.)
An anthem true to its name, “March March†combines footage from protests spanning topics and decades. Gay liberation. Climate change. Gun reform. Civil rights. Voting rights. It has a particular emphasis on Black Lives Matter, incorporating footage from recent protests around the country, including scenes from Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. “If your voice held no power, they wouldn’t try to silence you,†reads a quote at the beginning of the video. The names of Black victims of police brutality flash across the screen later in the song. George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Michael Lorenzo Dean. Tony McDade. This goes on for over a minute, memorializing only a fraction of Black people who have died at the hands of cops. “Use your VOICE. Use your VOTE,†flashes across the screen at the end. The Chicks’ album Gaslighter is out, finally, July 17.