Carnage Bargain by The Paranoyds
by Lana Fleischli
I saw The Paranoyds play last week, so it put me in the mood to write about this album! Firstly, I wanna express the importance of being responsible now that we can start doing a few things in person again. Please get vaccinated if you can! Wear a mask inside! It’s that simple. Please be aware and mindful. Wash your hands and stay safe!
What I love about this album is the power it exudes. It’s pure girl power and they aren’t afraid to truly express their riot grrrl side. I think it’s important that we still have that presence in music. It’s a reminder for people like me, who weren’t around in the 90’s, that art and feminism still overlap. Further reminding us that we are still fighting for equality, especially with an intersectional mindset.
The song “Girlfriend Degree” discusses the still sexist ideals that people have toward women that are rarely discussed. For example: being someone’s girlfriend. I’ve never actually heard anyone mention these ideas, but they are prevalent. After listening to the song, I realized they had crossed my mind. The song is about how if you are in a relationship, that doesn’t mean that the relationship defines you.
Take this line from the song, “It's easy if you let it be. Went to school, got a girlfriend degree. My man, he takes care of me. On the wall is my girlfriend degree.” Girls are stigmatized into being grateful to have been “chosen” by men (if they are attracted to men), so much so that we expect adolescent girls to become “boy crazy.” Society perpetuates these standards with male gaze. We see it in movies, books, tv, you name it! I’m talking about when girls try to impress a guy so much that they lose themselves. They think that in order to impress this guy, they shouldn’t act like their awesome selves, because society tells them that they have to be someone else. “Girlfriend Degree” is a message to girls that it’s great to like people, but to remember that you don’t have to be anything more for them, just you!
Then there’s “Face First,” which I had some trouble understanding, but I just really like the song. It starts with a powerful guitar riff that hooked me immediately. It was the first song by The Paranoyds that I really got into. Then there’s the music video, which is a whole other arena. I’ve never seen a video shot this way before-- in 360 degree video. When you watch it, you can move your device around you to see more of the video. From the video, I realized the song is about a stalker. It’s a really creative and powerful song!
To circle back to the beginning of this article, I will say once again that The Paranoyds are super cool and powerful as a punk girl band in 2021. In the song “Egg Salad,” it struck me how the band plays with the “girl band” aspect, as well as their punk rock side. The instrumentals are pretty intense, with the electric guitar taking center stage. However, within the lyrics, the backup vocals are reminiscent of the pop-punk Go-Go’s vibes. They play with what they have and what makes them stand out. That just happens to be female voices and punk music.
That’s probably the best part about The Paranoyds. They don’t shy away from any one aspect of themselves. They can have feminist songs and stalker songs! They find power as women in rock music.
It’s not easy to be a woman in music, and I will continue to say that. These are conversations that we have to keep having, and we also have to include things that may have been left out in the past. It is so important to keep reevaluating our feminist values to be more inclusive and intersectional. I am grateful for women in rock music, because for me, they are a constant reminder that there is still a fight, and that it is ever-changing.