Sound of Our Revolution | June 2023: End Violence Against Women

Your heroes always manage to find a way to let you down.

A problem with this blog is every month, I heavily endorse bands and artists under the limited information I have about them and what they say and stand for. But an unfortunate fact is, particularly with bands made up of predominantly men, even the ones more openly and vocally left wing, have a not insignificant chance to be predatory, violent, or otherwise abusive towards young women and girls.

The most recent allegations are against Till Lindemann of Rammstein, a band who I have heavily endorsed in the past. What with having to drop an act from Blizzard recently for similar sketchy behaviour, I felt a drive to shine a spotlight on violence against women, AFABs and femmes this month.

For legal reasons I should say that these are allegations and I am by no means claiming to have the definitive answer as to whether these allegations are true. But I find instances of allegations against musicians of this nature more often than not have truth to them. I am always inclined to believe the victims.

Whilst false allegations are not unheard of, I find it easier to believe that a man with intense celebrity power and musical stardom has been less than compliant with safeguarding rules against young women and even underage girls, than several unrelated people make similar or the same allegations as some kind of co-ordinated attempt to… expose themselves to a general public who will harass, dox, send death and rape threats to, and dismiss the claims and humanity of.

Seriously, this is the thing that baffles me the most. Oeople keep defending musicians accused of things like this by claiming the victim just wants money or fame out of it. My dudes (and it is nearly always dudes), this has demonstrably harmed the careers and reputations of victims far more than it does perpetrators. And in an instance where courts don’t convict the accused, that doesn’t mean the allegations are false, just that there isn’t enough evidence to convict, which is unfortunately all too common with crimes like this.

So, if you’re going to be all high and mighty with your “Innocent until proven guilty” schtick – you should apply that to the alleger as well as the alleged.

But I digress, I’m using this as merely the most recent example, and even in the unlikely but possible event that there is no truth to these allegations, this behaviour and behaviour like this is all too prominent in the world of music and comedy. Frankly, we need to do better to ensure this isn’t tolerated and that AFABs, women and femmes are safe. You’ll always get assholes in any scene but that’s no reason to not try and curate an environment where it’s safe to report behaviour like this and unwelcome to perpetrators of this behaviour.

So, this month’s playlist theme is songs against sexual, domestic, and verbal abuse/violence against women.

Blanket content warning for those topics throughout, although I have tried to avoid the more graphic depictions and accounts. I want this to be an empowering list, not one to be potentially triggering to victims.

That being said a lot of the best music on this theme doesn’t shy away from candidly talking about the harrowing experience of being a victim to this kind of violence, so if this is a topic you’re sensitive to or not in a headspace to read/listen about, then you might want to skip this one.

And just to futureproof myself – I have done due diligence research onto these bands and artists – but if it does turn out that any of the musicians and recording artists listed below have committed acts of violence against women, or indeed been shitty in any other way, this is not an endorsement of them. Rammstein certainly won’t be appearing on any more of my playlists at this point, and whenever new stories come out about other bands, no matter how much I like them, I will not knowingly endorse anyone who commits these horrific actions against anyone.

But enough of that, let’s dive into the playlist. If you just want to listen to the tracks I’ve picked without further commentary, you can find it on:

1: Touch Me Again – Petrol Girls

Talk of Violence – 2016 – Riot Grrrl
https://petrolgirls.bandcamp.com/album/talk-of-violence

“Touch me again
And I’ll fucking kill you”

Kicking off with a band who fully embody the righteous anger of modern-day intersectional feminism and who are fast becoming one of my favourite punk acts periods. Touch Me Again by Petrol Girls is a melodic hardcore Punk anthem all against sexual abuse and harassment and ends on an iconic outro the likes of which haven’t been heard since RATM’s Killing in the Name Of like 3 decades ago.

Petrol Girls put the Riot in Riot Grrrl, and this song captures the nuanced transition of terror to unbridled rage that you feel when inappropriate sexual contact from men is such a regular occurrence you don’t even have it in you to feel scared and small anymore, and you’re just gonna knock a cunt out.
Great track by a phenomenal band, and no better way than to kick off a playlist of this theme.

2: Jabberwocky – RedHook

Postcard From A Living Hell – 2023 – Electronicore
https://weareredhook.bandcamp.com/track/jabberwocky

“Wake me up ‘cause this isn’t real
It’s just a bad dream
A cave in my chest
Hell freezes in my bloodstream
But it’s all in my mind
‘Cause I don’t believe
In this Jabberwocky.”

RedHook are another one of those modern metalcore bands in the vein of Enter Shikari fully embracing and incorporating electronic elements to great effect.

Last year they put out this single and, if Petrol Girls captured the sheer rage of the problem, RedHook have really tapped into the shrinking feeling of terror, likening their abuser to the eponymous Jabberwock, from the works of Lewis Carroll, and specifically the 1985 film adaptation. Emmy Mack bares her soul in this track, singing in defiant denial, trying desperately to convince herself it doesn’t exist, like how Alice defeats the Jabberwocky in the same tactic.

This terrifying creature is embodying not just the literal attacker, but the personification of the trauma and aftermath of being attacked in this way.

Not the easiest track to listen to in context – but there is something powerful about the way Mack sings so openly about her experience in an industry that generally punishes survivors for even hinting about the abuse that women in particular face in the industry, and in particular in alternative/rock circles. Not sure if empowering is the word, as it is a song all about denial in the end, but there is a rising quality to the vocals that is almost comforting, like you’re not alone, and if you scream loud enough the pain can be defeated, which is not an uncommon coping tactic at all, so I can see why this resonates so strongly with survivors of this kind of abuse.

3: Say It – War on Women

War on Women – 2015 – Riot Grrrl
https://bridge9.bandcamp.com/album/war-on-women

“What if I was 30 or 12? What if I had one drink?
If the victim is your daughter, does that complicate the blaming?”

Moving back over to the rage side of the spectrum here with this absolute beast of a track from War on Women – another equally radical and polished Hardcore Riot Grrrl outfit. Say It is such a cool musical idea and composition, sniping in on the idea of victim blaming and downplaying of the actions of rapists and abusers. Parroting a lot of typical responses whenever a “nice, talented boy” is accused of these actions and we as a society try to find any reason to attribute the rape to except for the obvious that the boy is a rapist who raped someone.

War on Women start posing questions, asking men how they’d feel if the victim was their own daughter?

(Unfortunately, an effective tactic when men are incapable of caring about women unless he feels he has some ownership or investment in her, but you know, if it makes more men think about this shit, then it works I guess.)

Then the refrain “Say it, Say it, I was raped.” Is a really good message to hammer home for whenever survivors internalize the victim blaming ideas perpetuated.

Heck, I’ve been pressured and coerced into sex I didn’t want before. Nothing compared to what many others have been through – but I was so resistant to label things like that for what they were. Getting bogged down in patriarchal definitions and internalized toxic masculinity socialization. Even now I feel like I’m downplaying it, and maybe I can’t bring myself to label it as rape. But messages like this have helped me come to terms with the fact that yes, sexual assault doesn’t just look like the most violent version of it. Coerced sex is sex where consent is manufactured, and manufacturing consent means there isn’t real consent, and that means that by definition, it’s a form of sexual assault. Most assaults are domestic in nature and manipulation/psychological abuse is very much not any less of an abuse than whatever you might picture when you think of the word rape.

Another concise angry feminist punk anthem, and I have a funny feeling it won’t be the last one. (I mean, I know what the other songs are, so I would feel that, because it won’t, but I digress.)

4: Fillthee – Otep

Sevas Tra – 2002 – Nu Metal

“And I can’t get his scent off of me”

There aren’t many bands that can take a genre like Nu Metal and give it a feminist edge. Otep is no stranger to sexual assault and depicting it in her songs.

I can’t find a lot of information about this track specifically, but the repeated refrain of “Unclean, Filthy, I can’t get his scent off of me” cuts deep if you’ve ever been in a situation like this. Absolutely visceral, and not many vocalists could do this subject matter as well as Otep, with genuinely demonic guttural vocals as well as emotive and pained Nu Metal cleans. This song is an uncomfortable listen, and it’s 100% by design.

5: INFERNO – Sub Urban ft. Bella Poarch

HIVE – 2022 – Indie Pop

“Think I’m getting butterflies, but it’s really
Something telling me to run away”

Another newer track and a slightly more upbeat but no less eerie track – Inferno by Sub Urban is an interesting beast that it took me a few listens to properly understand. You do kind of need the music video to fully grasp the concept, as out of context it could be about almost anything.

Inferno is about Bella Poarch’s sexual assault, and it plays out as a fantasy at how she wishes it went. Musically kind of cool and creepy, the video then depicts the attempted assault, while Bella and Sub Urban send the men to their deaths in a… creative way.

Lyrically and musically this song works perfectly with the video, but out of context you could be forgiven for missing the meaning of the song. This is a delightful revenge fantasy of a SA survivor, and frankly I love that shit like this exists. This is why we have art, to express shit like this, it’s empowering, and its cathartic, and it fucking slaps.

6: Your Power – Billie Eilish

Happier Than Ever – 2021 – trip hop

“Try not to abuse your power
I know we didn’t choose to change
You might not wanna lose your power
But power isn’t pain”

Billie Eilish is a strong contender for the face of 2020s pop music. Everything she puts out sounds nothing like anything else, truly an innovator with a voice that commands emotion unlike any other.

Your Power is all about abusive relationship dynamics. She’s stated that it’s not about any specific relationship that she’s had, although fans do have speculations. I don’t think it’s appropriate to speculate however, so I’m going to take her at face value.

One thing is clear, this song is written and sung from personal experience. It might not be about any one relationship, but the song is delivered so honestly and intensely in her own low key chill vibes way, being both relaxing, depressing and unsettling all at once. It’s a song that really highlights the power that abusers have in relationships (particularly when there is a significant age gap, or if the victim in question is still a teenager).

It’s a traumatic encapsulation of this abuse dynamic, and hopefully it’s illustrated to people who might not be aware of these power dynamics to be more conscious when they’re there, and to recognise when it is out of balance and detect signs of abuse. If anyone is going to get the message across in a way that, does it justice but also really accessibly, it’s Billie.

7: Face Down – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Don’t You Fake It – 2006 – Emo

“Do you feel like a man
When you push her around?
Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground?
Well I’ll tell you my friend, one day this world’s got to end
As your lies crumble down, a new life she has found”

While not entirely intentional – I think it’s appropriate that this playlist is almost entirely from the voices of women (at least as performers, can’t speak for the writers for all of them). Face Down is one of 2 exceptions to that rule on this playlist, and I think it’s done well to earn its spot on this list alongside some of the titans we’ve already had and are yet to hear.

On a first listen, this song can be interpreted in a slightly uncomfortable way. The 2000s were the height of Emo as a music genre, and a lot of the bands were made up of men who were sensitive but also low key misogynistic and singing fantasy songs about them standing up to their bullies and getting the girl who exists in their universe only to fancy them.

On the surface, this song’s iconic chorus directed towards an abusive partner of a woman could very easily be interpreted as another one of these, using the very real issue of domestic abuse as a way to give themselves nice guy points.

But on a deeper dive there’s not actually any self-insert saviour persona in the song, and the song is entirely about the victim finally reaching breaking point and leaving and her life getting better. Sure, plenty of floppy haired emo boys with acoustic guitars have covered this song and very much sung it with the subtext that “She’s leaving her abusive boyfriend for me” – I know this because I was friends with them.

But in the original song, I genuinely don’t detect any of that. In fact, I seem to recall hearing this song was actually inspired by watching his Mum getting abused by her partner rather than someone the singer fancies specifically, which does come across in both the lyrics and the way they’re sung.

It’s a surprisingly mature song from an Emo band in 2006 that’s aged far better than a lot of its contemporaries, and I’m glad that it’s stuck around. The best parts of the emo movement without its more toxic undertones. And musically it’s a real earworm too. That chorus is 10/10.

8: Boys Who Rape (Should Be Destroyed) – The Raveonettes

In and Out of Control – 2009 – Indie Rock

“Boys who rape should all be destroyed”

I feel like the message is pretty clear on this one. Fairly standard shoegazey indie rock, very few lyrics, and an unmissable core message.

(Caveat that yes non-boys who rape should also be destroyed.)

9: Quiet – MILCK

This Is Not The End – 2018 – Pop

“But no one knows me no one ever will
If I don’t say something, if I just lie still”

A feminist protest anthem for the ages. Quiet by Milck oozes empowering energy in the face of horrific trauma. Like all good protest songs, it’s very memorable with its hooks, fairly simple with the lyrics, but no less powerful for it.

MILCK herself has actually annotated this song a lot herself on Genius, so I definitely recommend having a look if you’re interested in the thoughts and feelings behind the song. But needless to say it has strong references of being a sexual assault survivor, parroting the things that girls are taught to internalize to both avoid and cope with these attacks, and reaching a point where you won’t suffer in silence anymore, and encouraging others to do the same.

Abusers have a huge upper hand in that it is very easy for them to weaponize your victimhood against you and coerce you into silence, and they benefit from women already being raised to speak less than men regardless. So, the act of a woman, a survivor, refusing to be quiet, is a revolutionary act.

It’s such a scary and in many ways unsafe thing to do, but in creating this song she has driven solidarity between survivors and created a timeless protest song that I’m sure will be used for several generations to come.

10: Sugarcane – Bad Cop, Bad Cop

Not Sorry – 2015 – Pop Punk
https://badcopbadcop.bandcamp.com/album/not-sorry

“I’d use a fucking hammer on his face
Yes, I would do that for her
I would bite, kick, stab, and brawl
Then he’d be out her life forever”

The first thing about Sugarcane you’ll notice is how NOFX it sounds – and that is because Bad Cop, Bad Cop are one of several bands Fat Mike has signed who are like NOFX but better.

Sugarcane is a delightful supportive and empowering track, taking a third person role talking to a woman who is being abused by a partner. Starting off with very much not empty threats about what she wants to do to this guy, and launching straight into a celebration of the survivor, reassuring her that the way she’s been conditioned to think of herself by her boyfriend and parents is bullshit and that she deserves so much better, and how great things can be when you finally drop this dickhead.

It also reinforces the idea that apologies from these people are never worth heeding, as it will just revert back to the old cycle as soon as you give a chance to let him back in. You’re better than this guy, leave him to beg while you find someone who actually respects you as a human and worships you for the goddess you are.

A nice, real upbeat anthem to self-love and beating up abusive men. Even if you’ve never been in a relationship like this yourself, it is more than likely you know someone who has, in which case you’ll probably relate to the sentiments in this song hard.

11: Silenced – Mersi Stone

Who I Am – 2015 – Country

“When you scream, I can finally hear myself.
Tears blew my eyes, but you’ve never been clearer.
Your hands hold me down, but I’ve never been freer.
It’s just the beginning.
You know this isn’t the end.”

Bit of a drearier tone with this one – this soulful piano ballad from Country Singer Mersi Stone also reflects a survivor reaching breaking point and the freedom attained with leaving the abuser.

Very powerful stuff, conveying the nuanced emotion of being so relieved to be out of the situation, but still conveying the pain of all the trauma you have been put through, and the lost love that was never real or good enough for you.

One of the ways abusers dig their claws in is by making you genuinely fall for them. Abusers don’t generally start off explicitly abusive, but it’s there, and they will make you love them whilst treating you like dirt. If you’ve ever escaped a relationship like this, you’ll appreciate just how defeatist you can feel, clinging for the rare moments of happiness and resigned to the abuse he’ll put you through.

Not exactly a song you’ll knock a rapist out to, but one that is just as powerful in the feelings it captures and conveys, nonetheless.

12: Boys Will Be Boys – Stella Donnelly

Beware of the Dogs – 2019 – Folk
https://stelladonnelly.bandcamp.com/album/beware-of-the-dogs

“They said, “Boys will be boys”
Deaf to the word no”

It feels weird to apologise for a playlist of this theme being low energy and depressing, as, yeah, that’s how it feels. But I did set out to make this playlist as empowering as possible, with a healthy balance of songs that address the gravity of the issue of violence against women, as well as songs of survivors kicking ass and empowering themselves and others to not let the trauma define them or the narrative be controlled against them.

That being said, this one is another slow folk tune that was just too astute with its lyrics to pass up.

Using “Boys will be Boys” ironically juxtaposed with the horrible things a lot of boys disproportionately do isn’t a new tactic, but Stella absolutely nails it here – keeping a voice that is sing-song, fed up and depressed at the same time, singing about all the ways victims are taught to blame themselves for being attacked, and attackers are let off the hook because really, what were they supposed to do, not rape someone with bodily autonomy dressed in clothes they want to and daring to be in public?

By the end of this song Stella is fucking done with boys’ shit, and who can fucking blame her.

“Deaf to the word no” those 5 words cut deeper than many artists do in their entire lyrical works. This song doesn’t fuck about.

13: Off Duty Trip – The Raincoats

The Raincoats – 1979 – Folk Punk
https://killrockstars.bandcamp.com/album/the-raincoats

“Woman you’re pinned up
On the wall in front of you
A soldier’s life is very tough
Needs tender loving when fighting’s through”

Going way back now to one of the unsung influences of alternative music – without the Raincoats it’s very likely we’d have no Nirvana, no grunge boom, and the 80s probably would’ve just gone on forever, and nobody wants that. Thatcher and Regan would still be alive. shudders.

I exaggerate, but this album really was important and revered by stars of the 90s alternative backlash to Hair Metal and glam. And honestly a precursor to a lot of the Riot Grrrl bands that would emerge around the same time.

Off Duty Trip is about a specific court case which I can’t for the life of me find details of now even though I’m sure I read it when I first picked this song. In any case, the gist is a soldier back from war raped a woman and got treated incredibly leniently by the courts because of his so-called service.

It’s distressing how a case from the 70s is still commonplace today, except now the man doesn’t even need to be a soldier fighting a war, it can just be any old cunt who might be good at swimming.

There are bits of this track that I sense may have influenced Dead Kennedys as well – the way they flippantly embody the bad guys in the chorus, satirizing the actions and attitude towards those with power over the public such as those in the military or police force. This track is incredibly under talked about, and this band are superb. If you’re into any Punk or alternative music from the 80s and 90s, check ‘em out, they’ll definitely be up your street.

14: 5 Minutes – The Stranglers

No More Heroes – 1977 – New Wave

“They came home on Saturday night
They killed a cat, and they raped his wife
And in their eyes there was fear and hate
And when they spoke, they spoke with knives”

The second of two male fronted rock bands in this playlist (I know, pretty sure it’s just a fad, but credit where it’s due, these particular men are actually alright at rock believe it or not).

5 Minutes was written when one of the band member’s flatmates was raped in their home by five men, and his rage that this could happen, how unsafe the home felt after that, and how he wanted to find the people responsible.

Bit of a tonal shift to shake up the playlist a little bit, and there’s potentially a little bit of “Well this made me, a man uncomfortable” about it rather than focusing on the survivor – but it’s a song very much against this behaviour and wanting to fuck up the guys who did it, and I think that’s noble in many ways.

15: Warrior – Demi Lovato

Demi – 2013 – Pop

“I’m a warrior
I’m stronger than I’ve ever been
And my armor, is made of steel, you can’t get in
I’m a warrior
And you can never hurt me again”

Since their 2022 album, I’ve been going back to Demi Lovato’s music a lot and learning to appreciate music that I previously dismissed for no good reason other than being conditioned as an AMAB to hate the Disney popstars with a passion. While I still maintain Holy Fvck is the best work she’s done so far – the older stuff is far from bad.

Warrior is one that really stuck out to me from their 2013 album. It’s fairly typical of early 2010s power ballads musically, but lyrically it dives into some dark and personal stuff, which coming from child Disney stars you can tell is going to be fucked up.

Warrior focuses on their own growth in the face of this trauma and being defiant and refusing to let it own them, which must be really fucking difficult having to manage that while also being in the spotlight and a hugely unfairly maligned individual. (Seriously can we stop hating child stars quite as intensely as people do? No one’s going to make you consume their work, but these are some of the most abused people in the public eye, many of whom die tragically young often directly as a result of the toxic environments they’ve grown up in.)

It puts me in mind of early Jessie J, which is a huge guilty pleasure of mine. It’s a song where the vocals and lyrics steal all of the thunder, but the vocals and lyrics are worth it by themselves, even if the music leaves a little bit to be desired personally. It’s a great soul track from a singer who’s far better than she’s given credit for, and kudos to bare this trauma so publicly so young, that takes incredible emotional control and bravery.

16: Daddi – Cherry Glazerr

Stuffed & Ready – 2019 – Indie Rock
https://cherryglazerr.bandcamp.com/album/stuffed-ready

“Don’t hold my hand
Don’t be my man”

This one is potentially a bit of a thematic stretch, but it really is an infectious earworm, and it is certainly a song open to interpretation.

According to the artist, the motivation behind the song was the dichotomy of being an outspoken feminist playing a more subconscious subservient role in a relationship, and the role of internalised patriarchy on those traditional gender roles in relationships.

While there is no indication that this song was inspired by a relationship that was necessarily abusive, the refrain of “Don’t hold my hand, don’t be my man” I think speaks to the feelings of wanting desperately to get away from someone who’s had so much control in your life up until that point.

There are certainly other readings of it, and this writing which I’ll tenuously call analysis is very much my own and not repeated by the artist, who seems keen for people to take away whatever they do from this song, and remains somewhat cryptic about the intended meaning deeper than surface level and inspirations out of a seeming believe that art is defined by the consumer moreso than the artist (again, my words, not hers, it is possible I’m misinterpreting her).

But in the context of the rest of this playlist, I think it is a superb surreal trip through a relationship with a power imbalance and a desire to both get out of it but also asking for permission and direction, satirizing the more dominant nature of the partner in that dynamic. Again, not inherently abusive, relationships can look like that fully consensually, but the parallels are definitely there.

17: Hands Clean – Alanis Morissette

Under Rug Swept – 2002 – Alternative Rock

“I’ve more than honoured your request for silence
And you’ve washed your hands clean of this”

I don’t know if I’ve been able to spotlight Alanis on this playlist series so far, which is a shame, but this theme really is her time to shine.

Hands Clean tells an intense story, as many of her best songs do, this time of the experience of being groomed as a teenager in a relationship with an older man, who butters you up by complimenting how mature you are for your age, and manipulating you into silence so that you don’t realize you’re being exploited.

This is a situation that is far more common than is comfortable, and this song is Alanis’ vindication in a way. She wasn’t able to name the person, of course, but after being made to keep quiet about this for so long so the man in question could avoid any repercussions or responsibility, getting to sing this powerful and surprisingly up beat alt rock ballad so loudly and soulfully spilling the truth of her experience, must be a huge weight lifted.

Alanis Morissette’s music is trademarked with powerful emotive and personal songwriting, and this might be one of the best examples of that in her catalogue.

18: Independence Day – Martina McBride

The Way That I Am – 1993 – Country

“Well, she seemed alright by dawn’s early light
Though she looked a little worried and weak
She tried to pretend he wasn’t drinkin’ again
But daddy left the proof on her cheek”

I’ve actually been listening to a lot more Country music than I used to lately, and I have a newfound respect for it that I didn’t have before. It’s very easy to assume all modern Country music is your Aaron Lewis Trump nut racist white men with guitars. While that is unfortunately a large part of the genre, there are a lot of Country singers who have a much punkier approach to both their songwriting and content.

My knowledge of Martina McBride’s broader politics is non existent and I’m at a point where I generally don’t want to even look into it if I can avoid it, but certainly the tone of this song imply that she is at least very much spot on with this issue.

Independence Day is a classic Country story of a child and mother being abused by their father/husband, with the titular “Independence Day” being the literal July 4th holiday, as well as the day the mother and child finally escape their abuser through a deliberate act of arson.

This is widely agreed to be one of the greatest Country songs of all time, and honestly this is what Country music should be about. Women with guitars singing about burning their husbands and their property to live and provide a better life for themselves and loved ones. More of this please.

19: A Scary Time (for Boys) – Lynzy Lab

A Scary Time (for Boys) – 2018 – Folk

“I can’t live in an apartment if it’s on the first floor
I can’t be wearing silk pyjamas when I answer the door
I can’t have another drink even if I want more
And I can’t make you feel invalid, unseen, or ignored
I can’t jog around the city with headphones on my ears
I can’t speak out against my rapist after 35 years”

A Scary Time (For Boys) has gotta go down in history as one of the greatest works of satire of the 2010s. Such a simple and perfect premise – taking some comments from Donald Trump claiming that the Me-Too movement has led to men being at risk and unsafe. Which is either incredibly naïve, or more likely deliberate misogyny and divisive rhetoric.

What Lynzy Lab has done here has composed a lovely little folk tune listing all of the behaviours and defensive actions she has to take on a daily basis to mitigate the risk of sexual assault from men, contrasting with a chorus all about how scary it must be for boys now that they might be held to account for their actions.

Musically it’s ideal for a sing-along, which makes it a great little protest tune, and the lyrics are so unapologetically cutting and sincere, capturing feelings and fears of women everywhere. If you’re in any doubt or denial about what women go through every day, this song should very much open your eyes. Although I’m assuming if you’ve ready this far, you’re probably already accepting of this reality, and I’m speaking to the converted here.

20: His Story – TLC

Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip – 1992 – R&B

“They’re gonna believe
His story over mine
His story will be his story and
My story is a waste of time.”

I’m getting to gush about lots of artists I like but don’t usually get to talk about on here, it’s nice.

TLC might be my favourite girl group of all time. Well, favourite girl group that have any actual clout. I am a massive sucker for Girls Aloud, but I can’t actually defend that opinion.

TLC however were quintessential starts of women in hip-hop, writing absolute banger after banger, keeping pop friendly lyrics but still managing to deliver a message. His Story is a song I hadn’t actually heard before this playlist, and it goes a lot harder than their main singles (which are also great, don’t get me wrong).

This song is all about how women’s side of the story are never believed, and this was released in 1992.

Once again, I am disheartened at how little has changed. We’ve had #MeToo, we have been vindicated in a couple of particularly grotesque perpetrators getting punishment (although some of them have since been released on technicalities, ugh).

But ultimately, we still see the same thing time and time again. A woman comes forward with stories about her abuser, the abuser denies it, and their legions of fans defend them and lead a hate and harassment campaign on anyone who DARES to speak ill of their idol.

Even when it’s not anyone famous, more credible sexual assault allegations get thrown out than any perpetrators face any meaningful consequence, or any victims are safeguarded.

This song encourages speaking up, but also acknowledges how the plates are so heavily stacked against the victims in these circumstances. It’s low-key empowering, but not in a way that diminishes the absolute flaming pile of shit that it is to be a woman survivor of assault whose choices are either speaking up and doxing themselves to a vicious hate campaign, or saying nothing and internalizing it forever while the perpetrator definitely walks free.

It fucking sucks, and this song absolutely nails that experience.

21: Praying – Kesha

Rainbow – 2017 – Pop

“I’m proud of who I am
No more monsters, I can breathe again
And you said that I was done
Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come”

Any music critic worth their salt has gushed about this song, and I won’t be any different.

I was actually only recently properly aware of the absolute piece of shit that is Dr. Luke and how much he abused Kesha, and probably many other young women whose music careers he’s pulling the strings on as well. This is a man who has not faced any legal repercussions due to insubstantial evidence, but it seems no one, even the usual crowds of insecure men defending sex pests, are inclined to believe that this man hasn’t done the things he’s been accused of.

I’m sad to say that I used to dismiss Kesha as a grating popstar who the music industry wouldn’t be at a loss without – I used to be a cunt also. Recently I’ve gotten really into her playful yet strong messages within her genuinely infectious songs. Praying ticks both those boxes, being an incredible soul performance and wearing her feelings on her sleeve in a way that makes Alanis Morissette look restrained.

This is a survivor’s anthem, putting a full stop on this most traumatic part of her life, swinging between unbridled rage, determined strength, and indifferent pity of this man who groomed and abused her for years. This is the turning point in a musical where the hero is getting past their challenges and self-doubt and is finally ready to come back swinging.

The song starts with Kesha singing softly full of sadness, and gradually building to a crescendo of empowering vitriol. The simple refrain of “I hope you’re praying” is so delightfully indirect sounding both like a threat and genuine bittersweet well-wishing. And it’s fucking powerful.

By the end of the song Kesha is finally done with this human turd, and you can almost hear the ropes and chains that have bound her spirit for the first part of her career snapping and shattering as she pulls herself out of them, and takes off as a musical goddess who has far outshone and out-clouted the producer who apparently made her career.

Kesha is a fucking icon, and Praying might be her magnum opus.

22: 18+ – Scene Queen

18+ – 2023 – Metalcore

“Headline spot goes to the abuser (that’s right)
Half my idols are fucking losers
If I’m the bitch just starting rumours
What about the dogs turned into groomers”

Phew, that was a hard list. To round it up I wanted to go with something a bit more upbeat and scathing, and it was kind of this song that inspired this theme to begin with.

18+ by Scene Queen has been an incredibly cathartic song for me, and I think anyone who has been let down by a band they liked who turned out to be wrong’uns.

Every single lyric is carefully constructed to drive home the frustration we all feel that no matter how many people are outed, no matter how many conversations we have and how much we think we’re growing as a society, this shit keeps happening. A band you like tweets a solemn jpeg referencing allegations made about a band member, doing the usual non-committal apology and denial, but re-affirming that they take these allegations seriously, without actually doing anything about it.

The first 2 verses demolish any band who’s ever taken this approach, the choruses’ mock bands for grooming teenagers as their only way to actually get any girls to like them, which is oof but also, damnnnnnn.

Then the AI-esque emotionless voice mimicking the fake apologies bands put out, with the “Oh shit we did it again” into one of the filthiest metalcore breakdowns this side of the 2010s.

This song is brutal, and I love it so much. Apparently, this style of music has been coined as “Bimbocore” which is my new favourite term, and the only genre of music I am going to listen to from this point forwards. Fuck Charles, Scene Queen is the only monarch for me.

And that’s the list. If you made it to the end thank you so much, this wasn’t an easy thing to write about, and I imagine even harder to read about. I don’t actually know if anyone reads these to the end, but if you do, I appreciate you.

If you would like to see me talking about marginally less traumatic things, I’m doing my debut hour at Blizzard on July 24th along with Sam See’s “Government Approved Sex” which will be a phenomenal show from a phenomenal act. Tickets are available here.

And Follow us on Twitch.tv/blizzardcomedy and @BlizzardComedyChannel on YouTube to see our past, present and future Live streams.