'A Ferociously Feminist Track that Tackles the Horrors of Sexual Harassment'
If you’ve been following us throughout April, you might have spotted our previous review of Riot Grrrl duo DOLL’s darkly romantic track ‘1000 Cuts’ that left us wanting more.
The pair have now well and truly answered our prayers, and are back with an even fiercer and more rage-fuelled track.
Seeing out the end of April comes ‘I’d Rather Die’ the second instalment of Simone and Toria’s current project. The track combines the feminist rage of their 2020 alt-bop anthem ‘Dress Code’ with the heavy Riot Grrrl energy of ‘1000 Cuts’ to perfectly set the tone for the duos lyrical exploration of the horrors of sexual harassment.
The track’s instrumentation is raucous and catchy and you’ll immediately find yourself singing it in the shower after just one listen. However, beneath this brilliantly playful yet fiery tone, a serious message exists beneath the surface. In their latest track, DOLL strongly communicates their rightful fury towards the widespread and normalized nature of sexual harassment. The duo uses gripping lyrics such as ‘I’d rather die than look at you, the way you look at me’ and ‘You’re in my space, get out my face’ to really pack a feminist punch that stays with you after listening.
It is truly a song that responds to current times. ‘I’d Rather Die’ sits in the light of the recent investigation published by UN Women UK that found 97% of women aged 18-24 have been sexually harassed, with a further 96% not reporting those situations due to their belief that it would not change anything. The track boasts hypnotically forceful vocals that give a strong and empowering voice to the collective female rage that is felt in the battle against sexual harassment.
The duo also cleverly uses a sample in the bridge from NY Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s speech addressing the verbal harassment she received from Ted Yoho. The echoey repetition of Ocasio-Cortez’s words ‘that is the problem’ gives listeners a chilling reminder of how disturbingly and deeply rooted sexual harassment is within society. ‘I’d Rather Die’ fully cranks up the Riot Grrrl rage to the next level and leaves you feeling simultaneously enraged and empowered.
Simone and Toria have communicated their passionate rage so well, that it left me thinking of the famous words of Helen Reddy, ‘I am woman, hear me roar’.
‘I’d Rather Die’ is now available to stream on all major streaming platforms.
You can listen to it here.
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