Drawing us in with a genius and subversive twist, St. Divine open 30 Dolls with a re-imagining of the US national anthem, but with the lyrics, “The land of the free is a doll economy…”. The opus expands with a punk-rock energy and the hook, “30 Dolls, 30 dolls, I want them all, I want 30 dolls…”
In essence, 30 Dolls is a fierce satire of modern American politics, capitalism and hypocrisy. The hook works as intentionally absurd and disturbing symbolism that can be interpreted as representing commodities, victims and obsession – something bought, collected, and desired without regard for its human cost.
The song attacks greed, inequality and the idea that a society obsessed with wealth and ownership with low moral fibre. The track also closes with the “patriotic” opener, giving us a full circle, introspective moment.
The lyrics poignantly reference the corrupt elites “flying to an island” and “redacting files”, whilst references to walls, democracy falling, economic stagnation, war in the Middle East, bombing Iran, and “a sick cornered rat in his stupid red hat” demonstrate visceral anger toward authoritarian politics, nationalism, and leaders who use conflict or fear to maintain power.
It’s genius and riveting, and truly reflective of the zeitgeist. We could also imagine it in a movie like the Oscar-winning One Battle After Another, or perhaps the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel, ELLE on Amazon Prime.
We learn that St. Divine features Judy Ann Nock on vocals and guitar, Will Croxton and Phil Yanos on guitars, Jesse Barnes on bass, and Mike Ratti on drums. 30 Dolls was recorded at SuperGiraffeSound in Brooklyn, New York, with Will Croxton also serving as the engineer and producer.
Needless to say, we are obsessed, and have added 30 Dolls to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of St. Divine, including the entirety of their album, The Devil You Know.