10 women who channel their anger into music
Women have always had a lot to be angry about. For some women, that rage has become a musical muse.
Between feminist fury, romantic frustrations, and straightforward animalistic rage, women throughout music history have channelled their most infuriated emotions into songwriting. From the punk-driven sounds of Kim Gordon and Bratmobile to a modern wave of defiant women with guitars led by the likes of Stella Donnelly, the evolution of female anger has been charted in song.
For artists, there is sometimes no better place to expel those emotions than in a studio or onstage. Not only does this provide an outlet to vent, but the depiction of female anger in media can provide healing, understanding and community to audiences. By platforming issues such as assault and transphobia through music, listeners can find their own experiences and anger reflected in song.
It can be an immense comfort to scream along to a woman who sounds just as angry as you are. As 10 Things I Hate About You‘s Kat Stratford once stated, sometimes all you need is a playlist of angry girl music of the indie rock persuasion.
Below, we’ve collated ten of our favourite women who have channelled their anger and angst into music.
10 women used anger in music:
Stella Donnelly
Upon first listen, it’s hard to believe that Stella Donnelly’s music holds any anger. With soft strums and bright vocals, the Welsh-Australian singer-songwriter has cultivated a sound that is incomparably soft and twee. But just beneath the illusion created by her instrumentals, Donnelly’s lyrics are defiant and unflinching.
Tackling topics such as sexual assault and environmental issues, refusing to shy away, Donnelly has penned some of the most strikingly blunt songs in modern indie. On ‘Boys Will Be Boys’, she speaks out against victim blaming, declaring, “Like a mower in the morning, I will never let you rest, you broke all the bonds she gave you, time to pay the fucking rent.” Her expletive cuts like a knife through the soft soundscape, her anger unrelenting.
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple is one of the most acclaimed names in the alternative scene and also one of the most defiant. Many of her songs demonstrate her anger surrounding oppression and abuse, urging herself and others to “fetch the bolt cutters” and escape.
On ‘Limp’, she uses imagery of beasts, triggers, and clenched fists to reflect the power of her anger. On ‘Relay’, she repeats her resentment over and over – each new line begins with the words “I resent you…” Perhaps the most striking element of Apple’s sonic anger is how determined it is – kick her under the table all you want, but she won’t shut up.
Pom Pom Squad
Pom Pom Squad frontwoman Mia Berrin may be cheerleader-esque in name and look, but her sound and lyrics are full of grunge-fuelled anger. Inspired by the likes of Courtney Love and Kathleen Hanna, Berrin’s lyrics are just as defiant as her lyrics. “If I’m a bitch, at least someone is”, she sings on ‘Crying’.
One of her angriest tracks comes in the form of ‘Heavy Heavy’, which features lyrics and instrumentals that match its name. Berrin interweaves mundane annoyances with darker themes, cursing unreliable train services and her own thoughts in equal measure. It’s filled to the brim with grungy guitars, expletives, and screams.
Hole
Courtney Love may be the epitome of this list, pioneering grunge for the girls with her band Hole. Amidst a male-dominated alternative scene, they were one of few bands who brazenly infused their music with anger surrounding gender and abuse. Angsty and angry in sound and content, it’s impossible not to include them.
Love expels her anger towards Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain on ‘Doll Parts’, which took her just 20 minutes to write. Her lyrics are full of malice, declaring, “Someday you will ache like I ache,” and, “I love him so much, it just turns to hate.” Elsewhere, she tackles assault, such as with ‘Asking For It’, which speaks out about victim-blaming in its title alone.
Amyl and the Sniffers
Few artists are more scream-worthy than Australian pub rockers Amyl and the Sniffers. Led by Amy Taylor, the punky four-piece have wide-spanning influences, from Minor Threat to AC/DC to Cardi B. This range is reflected in their unique and frantic sound, so frantic that even when it’s not driven by anger, it sounds like it could be.
Their biggest sing-a-long hit, ‘Hertz’, features pulsing percussion and spiky vocals that declare, “Take me to the beach, take me to the country!” It’s barely angry in its lyricism, more frustrated by the mundanities of suburban life, but Taylor’s voice and the agitated soundscape create the illusion. Elsewhere, Taylor is indisputably angry – though she sprinkles in wit and cheek. “She’s 20 out of ten, you’re so so, you think you can fuck her? Hell no,” she screams.
X-Ray Spex
London-born punk rockers X-Ray Spex remain one of the coolest bands of all time. Aside from their punky instrumentals, the band displayed anger towards the world around them throughout their lyrics, unflinchingly bold in their discussion of identity and exploitation.
Their debut single, ‘Oh Bondage Up Yours!’ was a statement of that intent, one against gender and class imbalance. Poly Styrene described it as “a call for liberation. It was saying: ‘Bondage – forget it! I’m not going to be bound by the laws of consumerism or bound by my own senses.’ It has that line in it: ‘Chain smoke, chain gang, I consume you all’: you are tied to these activities for someone else’s profit.” Kim Gordon even covered the track.
Lambrini Girls
Lambrini Girls are fiery and furious in sound and lyrics. They credit riotous girls of the past as inspirations, including Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, but the Brighton trio update their frustrations to call a modern generation to arms. Their songs have charted their anger surrounding everything from the prevalence of the male gaze to toxic masculinity, and their live show is just as riotous.
Highlights of their sonic anger include ‘Lads Lads Lads’, which parodies the poisonous attitudes perpetrated between men and ‘Terf Wars’, a defiant statement against transphobia which declares, “You’re not a feminist you’re a stain on this earth, shut your stupid fucking mouth, you stupid fucking terf.” Their most recent release, the caustic ‘Boys in the Band’, tackles the abusive and imbalanced nature of the music industry.
Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon was a driving force behind Sonic Youth, pushing both their sound and lyrics into uncharted territory. She brought a defiant feminist lens to the band on tracks like ‘Swimsuit Issue’, which spoke out against sexual assault in its lyricism, which declares, “Don’t touch my breast, I’m just working at my desk, don’t put me to the test, I’m just doing my best.”
Gordon’s feminist fury also emerged in the iconic ‘Kool Thing’, which was inspired by an interview she conducted with LL Cool J. Between references to his songs, she parodies the voices that oppose her, asking, “I just want to know, what are you gonna do for me? I mean, are you gonna liberate us girls from male white corporate oppression?” Her anger seeps through even the catchiest of Sonic Youth tracks.
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks may be more associated with soft rock hits than angry, riotous anthems, but she has penned her fair share of enraged lyrics. Fleetwood Mac are, more than anything, known for encapsulating the turbulence of failing relationships in their music, and Nicks’ relationship with Lindsey Buckingham was no exception.
Perhaps the most iconic sonic reflection of Nicks’ anger came in 1977 with ‘Silver Springs’, which featured on the band’s magnum opus, Rumours. The song starts out seemingly soft and romantic – “You could be my silver spring”, Nicks sings over swirling strums. As the song continues, Nicks’ anger bleeds into the track. She’s at her most unrelenting and scathing as she declares, “You’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you… I’ll follow you down ‘til the sound of my voice will haunt you.” It promises revenge.
Bratmobile
Like many of the riot grrrl progenitors, Bratmobile’s music is driven by punk sensibilities and feminist fury. It’s present in their entire discography, which is unparalleled in its force. With equal parts charm and chaos, they discussed gender issues with unflinching honesty and rage.
On ‘Love Thing’, they express their anger surrounding abuse shrouded as love, declaring, “Fuck your fucking love thing,” and “You want my youth so bad, you love to see me sad,” while on ‘Bitch Theme’, they relish in others’ anger towards their anger. Almost taking pride in the word, they parody their opposition, declaring, “You’re such a bitch” over and over before asking, “Do you really think so?”
