Originally published in print September 2020.
Content warning: Sexual Assault.
The recent conversation surrounding California-based label Burger Records and the scandal that resulted in their liquidation has subsequently died down, unsurprisingly following the formula of how cases of sexual misconduct in indie have been treated.
The Lured By Burger Records Instagram page was launched on 18 July in the hope of “amplifying voices and supporting those who were victims of sexual predation by predators involved with Burger Records.” The garage label was founded in 2007 and is famed for their all-ages shows and loyalty to reinforcing the DIY credo, with a roster showcasing the absolute best of the indie and garage scene. The label was accused by long-time fans and supporters of harbouring a culture of sexual assault at shows, their affiliated record store, and within its catalogue of artists. Posterboys of this Cali scene were accused of sexual predation and grooming, namely The Growlers, The Frights, and The Buttertones. By creating a space where vulnerable teenagers were invited to be a part of something they were ‘honoured’ to be accepted into – allowing them to drink with the band and giving them access to tour buses – Burger Records placed known predators onto pedestals and gave them access to potential victims.
The label were the architects of their own culture of complicity. Becoming aware of this, they rebranded as ‘BRGR RECS.’ In response to the allegations about the sexist culture at their label, Burger Records issued a statement outlining their plans to stamp out misogyny within their label. With the initiative to start an all-female imprint called BRGRRRL and counselling fund for those “who suffered such trauma while engaging in the Burger scene”, they also pledged work with women to recognise abusive and coercive behavior but these promises never came to fruition. The label ended up folding entirely as musicians including Nobunny, Part Time’s David Loca, and the breakthrough case of SWMRS’ Joey Armstrong came forward and acknowledged their predatory behaviour.
It kills me to immediately turn to the “where do we go from here?” mantra because it seems like we haven’t learned at all. What happened in Orange County is merely part of a greater and more insidious problem — it’s a stark reminder of how subtle misogyny is endemic in indie rock. This genre’s culture makes deities out of losers. From feigning superiority over others as a result of your ‘refined’ taste to the romanticisation of toxicity and hedonism, there is a pyramidal structure of covert and overt examples of shitty behavior that have been humoured for decades. The narrative of the boy rebel’s broken heart is well-worn as illustrated by the last fifty years of popular music, with rock music itself being mostly defined by men writing songs about women, songs about the women he has loved and lost before and how these women have betrayed and failed him. 
With the self-aware risk of embodying the Radical Feminist Killjoy Caricature that wants to destroy your video games and rock n’ roll music, I acknowledge that if I have a problem with the conventions of indie I must have a problem with the annals of rock history. The women of pop-punk and emo are nameless, our sole source of power rooted in the impact we’ve had on the frontman’s romantic life. The where’s-my-hug entitlement of The Descendents’ early catalog, to the internalised misogyny of Miz Biz-era Paramore. The race fetishisation in Weezer’s Pinkerton, to Nick Cave’s murder ballads. The piles of brutalised women in Big Black’s discography, to the groupie-laden bravado of Led Zeppelin. I feel like subjectivity or Death of The Author doesn’t apply when these women are non-autonomous vessels (and often actually dead.) Can I forgo this judgement in light of the fact that these bands’ talent? Do we need to accept the sexism in punk and DIY scenes because “it’s just how it is”? It feels disingenuous to not mention that the bulk of these artists mentioned have acknowledged the fact that their subtle sexism hasn’t aged well. However — especially in the case of what happened in California — events of this severity should not have an expiration date.
The common retaliation used to be that you can’t be punk if you abuse. Yet nothing is more insidious than a predator exhibiting their virtuous plumage to distract from the underdeveloped bird beneath. A prime example of this existed in the form of Destroy Boys. Signed by Burger, they are a ravenous riot grrrl outfit who prided themselves on reviving the credo that was once spearheaded by the likes of Courtney Love and Kathleen Hanna. Once it emerged that the band was complicit in rape apologeticism and victim blaming, naturally their ethics were thrown into question. Anybody can feign progressive beliefs to fit better into a scene or to make possible victims feel more comfortable, but actions will forever speak louder than words.
The nature of DIY music culture calls for self-regulation and often results in a lack of accountability when people speak out. It boils down to virtue signalling and scenes not practising what they preach, actively ignoring allegations that circle for years and only acting on it when survivors go public. The question of optics takes precedence over accountability, so when a band or a label finally take action, it feels like a PR exercise in damage control. The methods taken by the label after the allegations came to light were a sophisticated form of victim blaming; placing the onus of fixing a broken system onto the women that it failed.
It won’t be long before someone claims that demand for these reforms is cancel culture’s doing – the pernicious, seemingly faceless force of our generation’s bloodlust for ending wrongdoing in all its forms. If true cancel culture existed, I wouldn’t have to engage with an influencers’ third notes app racism apology of the week or read alleged abusers’ painful redemption stories in mainstream publications. If independent music is going to reckon with this problem, they need to provide support to victims the minute the concern is raised — not when allegations reach social media, not when the abusers themselves admit to their actions. This is mere harm reduction and it shouldn’t take losing consumers and fans to take your duty as an authority seriously. Musicians, regardless of gender, should be calling out sexism whenever they see it. Bravado shouldn’t be rewarded and girls should be brought to the front.
