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Nov 16, 2016Slugger is a no-holds-barred art-pop surge of iron-clad beats, and acute lyricism that goes beyond post-breakup reflections and confronts the listener to actually think about the state of being a biological, self-identifying, or perceived female in today’s world and the ardent misogyny they face.
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Nov 11, 2016The songs all work inside established frameworks but twist them until they feel fresh. And really, that’s all Speedy Ortiz has ever done, too. It shows that Dupuis is a songwriter who can make any genre feel her own, regardless of what moniker she elects to release it under.
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Dec 12, 2016Dupuis has engineered a candied vehicle to convey a highly relevant paradigm, and although its lo-fi sound means that the messages aren’t as bullish as they could be, it is sonically deft, and an excellent record.
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Nov 14, 2016Slugger 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.
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Nov 11, 2016In less capable hands, this record might come across as an weighty topic checklist. Sad13, however, doesn’t just raise these discussions, she presents them as a bundle of sexy, glitter-soaked fun.
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Nov 11, 2016Shinier and poppier than anything Speedy Ortiz have done, Slugger is Dupuis’ attempt at putting politics into pop. The results are a thrilling and fizzing triumph.
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UncutNov 8, 2016Slugger is low-key but, true to form, leaves a mark. [Dec 2016, p.37]
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Nov 8, 2016Dupuis’s credo on Slugger is so simply, yet still colorfully as expected, stated and essential that flash-drive copies of Slugger should accompany all high school freshman Health class textbooks.
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Nov 8, 2016Nuanced, thoughtful discussions broadcast with power and volume: please give Sad13 all your yesses. But only if you want to.
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Nov 8, 2016The energy of that debut track [“Basement Queens”] carries over into Slugger, which weaves catchy pop synthesizers around stylized guitar effects and melodic choruses.
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Nov 17, 2016One of Speedy Ortiz’s strengths is that beneath all the instrumental layers, there’s a narrative puzzle to unpack. Sad13’s Slugger solves its puzzle for you, but in the hope that you will be able to go at it alone in the future.
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Nov 23, 2016There are stylistic nods to hip hop (rapper Sammus spits a verse on “Coming Into Powers”) and jittery electronica (“Krampus”) along the way, some more successful than others. But nothing fits as gloriously as fuzzed-out garage rock.
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Nov 17, 2016Even if Slugger might appeal more to Speedy Ortiz fans than Top 40 diehards, hearing Dupuis seek intimacy and independence is never less than pithy, fun, and thought-provoking.
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Nov 9, 2016Slugger 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.
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Nov 22, 2016Sure, it may be slightly too familiar to some tastes, but Slugger still manages to be both comforting and challenging as a piece of pop music.