The Top 40 Songs of 2014
Kero Kero Bonito – “Sick Beat”
A badge of 2014 infamy goes to the odious non-scandal “Gamergate,” a shit-fit thrown because video games, like every other form of media, have started to come under deeper cultural analysis from online critics. When that critique touched on video game cliches of sexualized violence against women, the women making the argument were threatened with sexual violence. It was just as gross and stupid as it sounds. London’s absurdly delightful Kero Kero Bonito pre-emptively articulated the actual anxiety behind their lashing out, with this weirdly punk, candy-color pop banger “Sick Beat.” Spheres of interest that were previously male-dominated are becoming more inclusive, and change is always feared. But it won’t stop. Now and in the future, girls will beat boys at video games (or guitar solos), unmercilessly. They will not apologize.