Millionaires Bitches

In 2008, (or perhaps 2009) when I was at summer camp, I was introduced to the Band Millionaires:

I have been fascinated ever since.

Millionaires (in my view) come into existence at a unique intersection between two worlds that were active in the late oughts: the Scene aesthetic, which was very popular on Myspace, and a new form of anti-slutshaming feminism, best known through artists like Ke$ha. 

I don't know a lot about Scene. I think it was always described as "like emo but without the sadness" which seems about as appropriate a working definition as any other. The icon of it, to me, would be Paramore, or other things like that. It also has some form of connection to people who said "rawr" and watched Invader Zim. It's all very tangled but all I can say is that it was a real and distinct type at some point, what follows is the first image which appears when I type "Scene Girl" into Google Images.

Ke$ha's model of feminism is one that is in your face over the top and aggressive. Ke$ha burst onto the scene not with innocence to be later corrupted like so many female pop musicians but fully formed as a badass who liked to drink and fuck. This is of course exemplified in Tik-Tok, which was I think her best financial/chart success.

So with the stage set, let's talk about Millionaires. Assuming you listened to the video at the top, you can see the intersections. The same focus on being able to do what ever they want, a cutesy bow on one of the singers, and some beats that were made on Garage Band (which really emphasizes their Myspace roots). They have another song, Prom Dress, with a chorus of

"So get me off like a prom dress, let me feel you deep inside/

I can tell that you're excited and it's something you can't hide/ 

You on top of me, that's how it's gonna be/

Get me off like a prom dress tonight"

All about sex and sexual gratification and money, a kind of purposefully abrasive hedonism and self-awareness about the "trashy" nature of the music. They also, it should be noted, clearly have a good sense of how to make a catchy pop song.

I'm a big fan of this attitude. I've never been able to shake my love for irreverence, towards the end of highschool I liked Odd Future because of it, and now I listen to Chapo Trap House for my weekly dose. That said, it seems like this attitude has kind of fallen away (although this may merely be a trough in the endless cycle of pop-music. One of the most popular songs on the radio in recent months has been the sorrowful ballad made EDM song "I Took A Pill In Ibiza", 21 Pilots sing about the good old days, there's a sense of regret at the immediate gratification and nowness which propelled the end of the aughts. Even though Millionaires were never particularly popular, those 2008-2010 years were full of songs like "Party Rock Anthem", "I Gotta Feelin", it's not hard to find songs celebrating the immediate moment. 

So what was that? The 2008 crash had just happened, shouldn't music have been reflecting that kind of feeling? Or was it a kind of brief escapism? I don't have the answers, sound off in the comments if you have a suggestion. I think I lean towards thinking that these songs were early examples of trying to hide from the world, which peaked with the heavily edm/dubstep-influenced early 2010 (also when rappers started talking about molly) but has now "come down" in a way

I'd suggest that some of the anxiety surrounding our recent society has become impossible to escape. There's a persistent sense that things are going "wrong". Looking at Ke$ha, she has gone from this symbol of power and freedom to a representation of how fucked up the music industry is, with the news of her abuse at the hand of Dr. Luke, the #freekesha movement and the lack of success she has had dealing with Sony. And the Millionaires... well, they're still around but it seems like things have taken their toll on them too (maybe this is just my shallow opinion based on one of their faces looking different). Decide for yourselves:

 

P.S. Interesting that this song vaguely deals with cuckoldry, which has come into the public eye thanks to the candidacy of Donald Trump and his weird Anime Nazi fans. Perhaps they saw it all coming.