By themselves

Issue 

Hecate
Hecate
Reviewed by Jen Crothers

I was extremely surprised and pleased when I heard "By Myself" on the JJJ Hot 100. It came in at number 98, but that's still pretty impressive.

I was surprised because it is such a political, feminist song. From the questioning and lilting verse to the thrashy familiar chants in the chorus, this song speaks volumes about where a lot of young women are at: the frustration and anger at a world where girls have to be sexy and thin, where we spend millions to care for our skin. Then the repetition of "By myself, I never need no-one else", as if the more times you say it, the truer it becomes.

This CD has six songs on it and is the first release from Hecate. Hecate is Stephanie Bourke (drums/vocals), Frances Evans (bass/vocals), Melanie Schmidt (guitar/vocals) and Sarah Blaby (guitar/mandolin). The music is a mixture of styles, rock-grunge-metal and a bit more.

These young women and the institution they arose from, Rock and Roll High School, deserve more airplay and more support from the Australian music industry. Whether they get it will probably depend on how many copies this CD sells. Buy it.

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