On her debut solo album as Sad13, Speedy Ortiz’ Sadie Dupuis wrestled with everything from gender and sexual identity to women’s rights to individual empowerment. Her latest single boils down pretty much every concept touched upon in Slugger into one pointed commentary on the biggest topic most of us will be discussing over Christmas dinner: the election.
Dubbed “MCGA” (that’s “Make Christmas Great Again”), the track finds Dupuis emboldening the listener (and herself) to “ask ’em how they voted” when going home for Christmas. While making calls for prison reform, abortion rights, and the disavowing of conversion therapy, the song takes direct aim at the worst aspects of the current rising political powers in the US. “They want the world to be white, white white,” she sings on the bridge. “I guess that’s just how it goes with the alt-right/ It’s passé to say ‘PC’ when you mean tolerance and decency.”
It’s not exactly what you’d call holiday cheer, but at least it’s honest about what plenty of us will be feeling this season. Take a listen: