Let’s talk about Babymetal
Something crazy happened today: I woke up and realized that AP hasn’t been covering Babymetal, the ridiculously fun Japanese metal/teen-pop band who are currently taking the world by storm.
It’s an interesting concept: three adorable, happy girls— Suzuka Nakamoto, Yui Mizono and Moa Kikuchi—fronting brootal breakdowns and dance floor churn.
It would be easy to quickly dismiss this as a gimmick, if the music didn’t totally shred. Listen to the song below, “Megitsune”—Listen to it!—and try not to smile and headbang. Also, did you notice how the backing band rips?
The group have racked up millions of YouTube views, hung with metal legends and opened for Lady GaGa, so it looks like they’re here to stay.
Naturally, the band have been the target of a lot of negative attention—racism and sexism, specifically. In a recent op-ed, “Why Is It Okay To Be Racist And Misogynistic About Babymetal?,” the good people at MetalSucks defended Babymetal against “creepy racist motherfuckers.”
This is an open thread: What do you think of Babymetal? Should we cover them? Listen to their music below, and let us know your thoughts.
