First Aid Kit have stepped outside of their typically sweet sound for what might be their angriest song ever. “You Are The Problem Here” addresses a rapist directly, asking them “How did you ever think you had the right to put your entitled hands up her thighs?” before combating the all-too-frequent notion that women are somehow to blame for the crimes committed against them.
The band released the track for International Women’s Day, saying that it was inspired by “yet another rape case where the perpetrator was handed a sentence which did not at all reflect the severity of his crime.” Listen to the whole song up top and check out the band’s statement below:
“Today is the International Women’s Day and the theme of the year is #BeBoldForChange. “You Are the Problem Here” isn’t a typical First Aid Kit-song. It’s angry and direct. It’s a song written out of despair. After reading about yet another rape case where the perpetrator was handed a sentence which did not at all reflect the severity of his crime we felt upset and vengeful. We were, and are, sick of living in a society where the victims of rape are often blamed for the horrible thing that has been done to them. Our message is clear and should not be controversial in the least: if you rape, you are the problem. Alcohol is not the problem. So called ‘youth culture’ is not the problem. You are. And you always have a choice.”
Other forms of protest have cropped up on this year’s iteration of the socialist-born holiday honoring and pushing for women’s rights. The “Day Without A Woman” protest spread as far as the Statue of Liberty and even caused several schools to shut down.
