It’s relatively easy to write a hardcore death metal song about passionate hatred. It’s a lot harder to write something that is fun, whimsical and overflowing with the same white-hot hate.
The list is by no means comprehensive; it’s more of a quaint intro into the world of veiled anger.
Put these songs on, think of someone you really don’t like, and try to smile with half of your mouth while furiously scowling with the other half. Don’t actually try that, it hurts a little.
“Men” by The Dodos
“This is the sign/I used to wear/This is the line/It says I care.” “Men” is a song about falling out of love. Really, really falling out of love. And pretty much straight into pure, mind-numbing hatred. “Men” is an ode to that sensation of being shackled to someone you couldn’t dislike more, yet it still has a sort of spring to its step, an upbeat attitude that makes the song both very fun and very deeply unsettling.
“I’ll Believe in Anything” by Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe in Anything” isn’t exactly about hating an individual as much as it is about hating the social constructs or class divisions that separate people, but it still has enough authentic, passionate anger to qualify for this list. “I’ll Believe in Anything” might sound like another of Wolf Parade’s super catchy anthems, but singer Spencer Krug’s frantic warblings contain a lot of genuine fury (particularly in that part about nobody knowing you and nobody giving “a damn either way”).
“Freak Scene” by Dinosaur Jr.
If rumors are to be believed, the members of Dinosaur Jr. did not exactly get along. If further rumors are to be believed, “Freak Scene” was a song about exactly how much the band didn’t get along. If lines like “Sometimes I don’t thrill you/Sometimes I think I’ll kill you” are any indication, they were not the best of friends. Despite lines like that, “Freak Scene” easily remains one of Dinosaur Jr.’s most accessible and catchy songs. It’s a song that’s a lot of fun peppered with a lot of hate and semi-transparent threats.
“Eraser” by No Age
It might be a stretch to call No Age a “fun” band, but their brand of noise pop manages to be pretty catchy and summery, and none of their songs are catchier than their breakout hit, “Eraser.” It’s hard to hear sometimes through the fuzz, but the hook-driven song is mostly about watching someone die and hating your day job. Luckily no one will notice, so it’s a really great song to play at parties or barbecues.
“No Children” by The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats are a pretty “cute” band, who in their fun, earthy tones play songs about a lot of really horrible things. “No Children” is one of the band’s most popular songs, but it’s also one of their angriest and most depressing. “No Children” is a song about hating your spouse so hard it breaks you, and while its seething hatred is obvious in the lyrics, the song’s folksy acoustic guitar and uplifting piano chords make it deceptively fun.
