Written by Sophie Wyatt
Some of the greatest music ever made has been premised off of feminine rage. From Stevie Nicks singing ‘Silver Springs’ into the face of her ex lover to Patti Smith’s countless punk movements within the industry. And now we are seeing a much needed revival of the fierce tone.
Over the past few years, feminine rage has spilt out once again into pop music. Olivia Rodrigo’s first album ‘SOUR’, that shot her into mainstream fame covered softly spoken, emotional traits, while her follow up album ‘GUTS’, which had an even more highly welcomed reception, broke out into a feeling of disregard for anyone that wronged her in this time. Since then there’s been a serious upturn in female artists embracing this cathartic release of anger. Female US-based band The Beaches made a huge entrance into worldwide fame with their track ‘Blame Brett’, which blew up on social media. While the band have made it clear this isn’t a diss track on their ex’s, the song itself holds a power that audiences have recognised and praised. Alongside this tracks like ‘Me & Me’ embrace independence and nonchalant and natural strength against a rock-pop backing track.
Feminine rage has been explained as an ancestral and inherited response to the struggles, oppressions, and wrongdoings that women have been subjected to; a desire to be heard and seen for what they are. Transgressing the age old ‘norms’ of what women are expected to present as, this release of loud, orderly chaos is empowering. Florence and The Machine’s ethereal take on female rage intertwined this sense of divine femininity with the power to kill you with one foul swoop. Victorian-esque undercoats were placed against the images of bloody hands and death through love.
This in turn inspired a whole new generation of female and non-binary fans to create art in a new way. 2023 saw the rise of female and non-binary band The Last Dinner Party. The band shot to fame with just two singles released on Spotify. Described as ‘firecrackers’ on stage, the band lends its hand to an almost nihilistic sense of freedom. Their single ‘Nothing Matters’ has over 45 million streams, and continues to show just how popular feminine rage in music has become yet again.
These artists along with so many before them, are creating an escape for listeners. Their screamable lyrics create an arch between age old feminine rage and the popular music scene.
