Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill (EP)

Kathleen Hanna perfectly embodies the model of the riot grrrl. Her band Bikini Kill sparked this social and musical movement in the '90s, which developed starting from their hometown, Olympia. Other significant figures were the Bratmobile of Allison Wolfe, with whom Bikini shared their birthplace and the feminist commitment that strongly characterizes the riot grrrls movement. What contributed most to the success of the Olympia bands was the interest from Kill Rock Stars, a label that, in addition to Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, recruited female indie bands like Mecca Normal, Excuse 17, Heavens To Betsy, Huggy Bear (the latter being the only representatives of the movement in Great Britain).

Particularly, Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) took an interest in Bikini Kill and produced this self-titled EP containing some tracks from their first work, the independent cassette "Revolution Girl Style Now!". The lineup, besides the aforementioned leader Kathleen Hanna, included Kathi Wilcox on bass and two former members of The Go-Team: guitarist Billy Karren and drummer Tobi Vail (who was dating Kurt Cobain at the time, who would later dedicate one of his best compositions, the stunning " Drain You ").

Kathleen sets things straight from the opener "Double Dare Ya": «We're Bikini Kill and we want revolution girl style now!». The initial bass riff differs by only one note from that of "She Walks On Me" by Hole, but the alleged plagiarism is the work of the latter, as their track was released four years after "Bikini Kill EP". Kathleen's vocal tone is almost masculine: the singer performs in irritated screams (her specialty) and verses almost on the verge of speaking. The text is centered on the theme of feminism, and especially on what underlies it: the claim for women's rights, equal to or even superior to those of men: « You're a big girl now/ You've got no reason not to fight /You've got to know what they are/ For you can stand up for your rights/ You DO have rights ». Therefore, "Double Dare Ya" can be considered the "lyrical manifesto" of the riot grrrls' school of thought. Musically speaking, the track is a punk hardcore-like with noise/lo-fi inflections. In "Liar", Kathleen Hanna fully expresses her way of singing, between reluctant and sarcastic, but with the awareness that what is said is sacred, almost an absolute truth. The lyrics excellently tackle the theme of violence against women, which is very dear to the leader and thus represents the cornerstone of her art. On the other hand, the inhuman screams featured therein echo the horror, the shame felt for the violence suffered by a parent, the plot of one of the many true stories recounted by the singer: « Betty's got the back of her dress all ripped out/ Mama's got her face muffled twist and shout ». All set on a frenetic instrumental base, halfway between grunge and lo-fi.

Between tracks, typical rehearsal room talks are sometimes left, accentuating the lo-fi stamp of the record. "Carnival" offers a rhythm section reduced to the essentials, featuring a powerful bass line. The guitar is a simple accompaniment for Kathleen's bittersweet nursery rhyme; the track is essentially a very fleeting punk-rock outburst: about a minute and a half long. "Suck My Left One" is again about the sexual violence suffered within the home walls. Sang in an approximate manner, it lies on a poor instrumental bed: an elementary guitar riff followed verbatim by the bass, a repetitive drum that sometimes grants some crash breaks; but the virtuosity is not really needed, the words matter, sharp, angry, heavy, full of meaning («Daddy comes into her room at night/ He's got more than talking on his mind/ My sister pulls the covers down »). The most catchy composition, or rather where melodic hints are glimpsed, is "Feels Blind", perhaps the least engaging musically because relatively "normal". Guitar and bass in unison, drums alternating tribalism with very simple rhythms, even the voice doesn't seem to exceed in bursts and out-of-tune notes. The lyrics have a poetic setting in denouncing once again the lack of respect towards women by the male gender, and are mainly addressed to girls, urging them to stand up for their rights.

The final "Thurston Hearts The Who" (where Thurston would be Moore, the leader of Sonic Youth) represents in my view the pinnacle of the album. It's an experimental episode, essentially consisting of Kathleen's speech about the alternative rock of the time, pronounced quickly, excitedly, pleasantly tense. The sparse instrumental outfit consists of a deep bass loop, sad chords, noisy guitars at the limit of the annoying, a drum that is almost non-existent at the beginning, but finally surprises with its pounding advance.

The social/feminist commitment of Bikini Kill and especially Kathleen Hanna's "man-phobic" attitude was heavily criticized by Hole in the song "Olympia" and by NoFX in "Kill Rock Stars" (« You can't change the world by hating men »). However, Bikini Kill greatly influenced both contemporary alternative groups and female punk bands of our times, having been explicitly cited by The Donnas, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Gossip.