Track 29: Say It Like You Mean It - Sleater-Kinney

Too many losses have left me down...

Most know that Sleater-Kinney’s 2024 release Little Rope is about grief, specifically, Carrie Brownstein’s mother and step-mother, but also of a changing world that sounds about as far removed from the power SK could muster in their prime as possible. What are we take of a feminist anthem like Step Aside in the wake of the 2024 election? When Corin Tucker, in perhaps her greatest vocal performance, rallies her band mates - (Janet, Carrie, can you feel it?) - you’re reminded of Janet Weiss’ departure of the band a few years back. This is literally not the same Sleater-Kinney. They no longer feel like they can disassemble their discrimination, put a knife through the heart of their exploitation. They sound like they’re damn near close to waving a white flag. They sound like they’re screaming, “what the *fuck* is going on?”

That’s not to say Corin and Carrie are not still wielding incredible power, and Little Rope is their strongest record since epic comeback No Cities To Love. But the grief feels like it extends far beyond the personal losses. There’s grief for who Sleater-Kinney was too, and for what they thought they were fighting for. The world, including politics, felt much simpler when One Beat came out, and it’s growing increasingly clear that SK’s fairly liberal political leanings are far from sufficient for a world where most of the working class votes for the most obvious con man this side of the guys from Used Cars.

I for one am grateful that this band continues to evolve and lean on each other to get through. We’re better off with them together than without them, and it’s nice that this song and the album it’s on is following its own advice.

Click here for the Infinite Mixtape on Spotify.
Click here for the Infinite Mixtape on Apple Music.