Country duo Maddie & Tae released their new extended play, “What A Woman Can Do,” on Friday, Sept. 13, just 10 days shy of when they will take the Grove Stage at the Student Activities Association’s Fall Concert on Sunday, Sept. 22.
Maddie & Tae have had a rollercoaster career since their breakout song, “Girl In A Country Song,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart in 2014. They have released seven singles, seven EPs and two studio albums since then. The team has tried again and again to mimic the success of 3x-Platinum-certified single “Die From A Broken Heart”; I think that needle could finally move with this EP.
The EP’s lead single, “Heart They Didn’t Break,” is a beautiful ode to the friendships that help fix the mess ex-partners make when they end a relationship.
Local listeners will hear a familiar name drop in the song’s opening line: “It’s 200 miles from Ole Miss.” Though I am not sure either of the pair has any connection to the University of Mississippi, the line taps into the specificity that good country music requires.
“Heart They Didn’t Break,” alongside most other tracks on this EP, sing a rock-country tune of female empowerment. This project hosts an interesting sound that was only hinted at on their previous studio albums. But the theme of women supporting women is valuable and encouraging.
The title track offers some of the following beautiful, supportive lyricism.
“Give her a house, she’ll make it a home // That you’ll miss her like hell when you’re gone too long // She’ll build your whole world in a living room // Man, what a woman can do.”
“Sad Girl Summer” is a breakup anthem that hones in on that rock sound. Maddie & Tae love an electric guitar. On this song, too, these ladies focus on lifting other women up; notice a pattern?
In a time where country music can seemingly uplift only one woman at a time to the mainstream, it is refreshing to see country music’s lead female duo releasing music that says, ‘Hey, we’re here for you. We’re going to support one another through this.’
It will be exciting to see Ole Miss students come together to the tune of country music and camaraderie, much like in Maddie & Tae’s (hopefully) future hit “Heart They Didn’t Break” and their empowering “What A Woman Can Do” EP.
Maddie & Tae will perform on the Grove Stage at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, alongside fellow women in country Annie Bosko and Just Jayne.
