Sad13 - Devil in U

Sadie Dupuis’ debut solo album ‘Slugger’ is quickly establishing itself as a record that packs plenty of life-affirming punches. The first taste came in the shape of the consent-celebrating ‘Get A Yes,’ and then there was ‘<2' (complete with a parody beauty workshop video). Sad13's latest, 'Devil in U' meanwhile is a call to arms, urging people to bag up all the poisonous people in their lives, and lob them out with the trash.

Over a strange synth-burbling waltz, Sad13 sings about keeping her puppy groomed, and reading books all the way through to please somebody who seems like a fairly unsavoury character - “cos that’s what an angel would do”. Witchy scenes and wax filled cauldrons fill each verse, and ‘Devil in U’ has evidently been sipping some fairly potent grog from a nearby magic goblet. Stuck and frozen in the grip of a draining influence - as if under a spell - Sad13’s scenes might be mystical, but she’s singing about real, negative relationships; the dangerous ones where you try to change for fear of upsetting the boat.

“Mercury reversing when you don’t approve,” Sadie sings, and for anyone who’s not as up on their astronomy as the horoscope-loving Speedy Ortiz vocalist, when Mercury is in retrograde, everything involving rational communication basically goes to shit. Bringing back the dialogue into clear focus once again is something ‘Slugger’ seems to do very well, and the moral of this story is simple. You don’t need bad people. You’re far, far better than that.