Review of 'Calculated' by Heavens to Betsy

Good afternoon, everyone; I hope your day is going well. Today’s episode of Hysteria is about the slightly lesser-known riot grrrl band formed by Corin Tucker that preceded Sleater-Kinney. It’s going to be a fun one, so I hope you enjoy!

[original sleater-kinney sign, taken from flickr]

Led by female guitarist and vocalist Corin Tucker, the band Sleater-Kinney is a staple of 90s riot grrrl—characterized by their easygoing instrumentals, brave and unapologetic singer-songwriter, and their courage to stand up to traditional gender roles and confining societal labels. Their popularity was justifiable, gaining traction after the grunge movement mellowed in popularity. Before Sleater-Kinney, though, Tucker formed the band Heavens to Betsy after attending the notorious Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.

[the album cover for calculated, taken from bandcamp]

Seeing live performances of riot grrrl bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile inspired Tucker to write openly about her experiences as a progressive woman in an oh-so-sexist society. Their only studio album, Calculated, is extremely honest and unrefined—unpolished guitars, rough vocals, and brutal lyrics. Speaking on pressing issues, Tucker approaches complex ideas such as street harassment, sexual assault, and racism. If you’re uncomfortable with those topics, I suggest skipping this episode. As we’ll discuss later, they offer an interesting perspective on the intersectionality of race and gender, which I think many white female bands of the '90s struggled with approaching. 

Per usual, I’m going to be talking about a couple of songs that I think are the most interesting on the album. But no more waiting! Let’s dive right in.

—> Decide

Decide paints the portrait of a woman renouncing the classic ‘American Dream’ in favor of loving her life on her own accord. She rejects the traditional loveless heterosexual marriage and says, “No man is gonna rule my life," she said / "I will decide this time." I appreciate the empathy and solidarity Tucker expresses in this song. I see a lot of women in alternative music generally blame a woman for blindly following traditional gender roles, while here, they are empathetic and understanding of the fact that environment is a massive factor in what life choices a person makes: “Can you get rid of that seed they planted in your head?” They are essentially encouraging women to decide their own fates and make their own “happy ending.”

—> Waitress Hell

Working in the service industry is no easy job. Though I’ve personally never worked as a waitress, I can see from these lyrics that it’s clearly not fun at all. I’m assuming Corin took up this profession at one point because the lyrics seem too vitriolic not to be from past experiences. She’s incredibly snarky and clever: “Yeah, I just do this job for a hobby / So don't worry about a tip / Five-twenty-five an hour suits me fine / Yeah, I just love to serve,” perfectly representing the ‘overworked, underpaid’ mentality of working in hospitality. This song is amusing and therapeutic to listen to, so I recommend you give it a play.

—> axemen and White Girl

axemen and White Girl introduce the concept of race, a pressing issue in Tucker’s mind. Both songs reaffirm that understanding and recognizing your privilege is essential to becoming antiracist as a white person. However, it can feel disingenuous at times when they become so preachy about disliking white people—this may be because all members of the band are white. This issue doesn’t just pertain to Heavens to Betsy, though. Bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile emphasize their hatred of white supremacy, and rightfully so, but at some point, it appears to me as a white savior complex. In other words, right message, wrong messenger. A highly pervasive issue with the riot grrrl movement of the nineties was the exclusion of women of color in the scene. I’m sure you can see the problem here; POC women had no chance to voice their opinions freely during this movement, which is why it feels so awkward and disconnected when white riot grrrl bands sing about race. They obviously weren’t exposed firsthand to racism; they more or less had the sentiment of: “Sexism is worse for women of color, I want to sing about how this is bad, but I have no personal experiences with it.” Other than it feeling mildly performative, I believe that their hearts were in the right place while addressing the issue.

—> Terrorist

A very popular track on Calculated, Terrorist is a response to catcalling, or street harassment. It has a violent, defensive, and overall fierce tone. This track might be, by far, one of the most liberating to listen to. Much as the album title suggests, the narrator of the song is highly calculated and precise with their intentions. The track sets up as somebody stalks the speaker like prey: “You follow me on the f*cking street / You make me feel like a piece of meat,” and ends in a thrilling subversion of expectations: “I'm gonna kill you / Gut you and gouge out your eyes / I'm gonna kill you / I'm not your prey, I'll make you die.” Terrorist perfectly encapsulates the fed-up and feminist notion that '90s girl bands were known for.

[heavens to betsy live, taken from thefirenote]

There it is: Calculated by Heavens to Betsy! It’s an excellent record, featuring a handful of short songs that are rich and engaging nonetheless. I’m sure I’ll cover a Sleater-Kinney album one day. Still, for next week, I’m actually going to be covering a modern riot grrrl band I personally love, and wish was given more attention: Slutever. I’ll link their first and only album, Almost Famous, so you can give it a listen before I discuss it next week. I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I’ll see you next Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. sharp—don’t forget!

Bye-Bye,

Mila