La Sécurité and the empowered dance of "Hot Topic" (Official Video)

 

"I can feel your eyes on me / You wanna ask me a question / Why d’you think I came here tonight? / I don't want your opinion / I will take the space that I need / To move around as I please / What did you expect / I am not your pet / It's a hot topic..."


Let's not beat around the bush because time is fleeting. "Hot Topic" by Montreal collective La Sécurité (and from their debut full length "Stay Safe!") is a fucking awesome song, statement, societal mirror. This avant rock piece with such a killer groove that makes me think of late 70's proto punk / politico punk stands alone as a piece of substantial art that I would love as a stand alone thing but the fact that I have two of three children who are female makes this song even better, even more moving and impactful.  

I am told that "Hot Topic" was initially created as a soundtrack to an avant-garde dance piece by vocalist Éliane Viens-Synnott and, in fact, the Official Video for "Hot Topic" is edited from that bit of performance art. The lyrics here are an amazing, the song fully rendered as a self described "ode to feminist solidarity and power". 

The lyrics posted on La Sécurité's Bandcamp page (or below the Video) as a read-a-long made me smile broadly and afterwards those same sentiments made me angry. Not only because the words simmered in my brain and down to my heart but it made me think of different conversations I have had with my daughters concerning the fucked up experiences that transpire between them and males throughout their young lives. Something as seemingly innocuous as wearing a backpack to Coachella, not to carry things, but to have a protective barrier against males who want to take advantage of packed audience to other occurrences that are even much worse. The discounting of being spoken down to and the abject fear of walking alone in a city.  

Male insecurity that bubbles into varying degrees of machismo, of rape culture, of toxic masculinity is something that everyone should be aware of and stamp out. So, yes, I love "Hot Topic" because young girls, women, don't need saving, are not chattel but are sadly under assault.  

I can feel your eyes on me
You wanna ask me a question
Why d’you think I came here tonight?
I don't want your opinion
I will take the space that I need
To move around as I please
What did you expect
I am not your pet
It's a hot topic

Is there something that I can do
To make this any clearer for you?
I dont wanna talk
I just wanna dance
I don't owe you any answers
You can fuck off with you banter
Cut the crap, you’re not funny
I don't need a drink
I make my own money

Count me out
Count me out
Count me out
Won’t you?

I will not sit pretty
Your comments are so petty
Everything I feel is alright
I will not hide in a corner
Who gave you the right to take up
All the space we need to breathe in?
I can find my way thank you very much
I don’t care
I'm not gonna stop

Cut it out
Cut it out
Cut it out
Will you?

Watch me now
Watch me now
Watch me now
Burn you!

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://www.facebook.com/la.securite.avant.tout.666

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ijO3JnnKpoAOTU4QaDgdW

https://www.instagram.com/la_securite_avant_tout/

https://lasecurite.bandcamp.com/track/hot-topic


La Sécurité (Montréal, QC) is an upbeat art punk outfit featuring members of visionary acts such as Choses Sauvages, Laurence-Anne, Jesuslesfilles, Silver Dapple, DATES and Pressure Pin. Their music is equal parts: jumpy beats, efficient minimal hooks and scratchy melodic spouts; ran through a ubiquitous insomniac filter, the result of excessive exposure to La Grande Métropole’s neon lights.

La Sécurité, post punk, punk, 70's proto punk, affirmation, feminist, politico punk, "Hot Topic" Official Video, Montreal collective, toxic masculinity, killer groove, strident vox,