“Lady Lazarus” Single by Roman Candle Review
Roman Candle is a four-piece hardcore group from Las Vegas. Their sound is raw and emotional, intertwined with modern-day screamo. There is an aggression paired with this vulnerability in the lyricism, making their music so powerful. Just last year, they signed to Sumerian Records, and their latest release, “Lady Lazarus,” is their sixth single released under this label. This song is meant to be brutal and honest while confronting topics like misogyny and survival. The feeling of needing to exist but also shrink when times get too difficult to face head-on. Yet at the same time, being unapologetic to those who disagree with taking up space in the world.
This song is meant to hit you in the face about the topic of misogyny. It’s not just about the treatment that women often receive, and it’s not about “hating men,” it’s about taking back what was denied. Women are meant to be quiet, invisible, and hide their anger because it’s “not very lady-like.” But that’s honestly garbage; we are all human, and we all feel emotions like anger and rage. Counterintuitively, men aren’t supposed to showcase softer emotions that women are often associated with because it makes one weak. Emotions and expressing how you feel when something different affects your life is not a weakness, nor is it a definitive description of your gender. Emotions make us who we are.
Lazarus is a man from the Bible who came back to life, giving this song the name “Lady Lazarus” invokes that same meaning, metaphorically. We as women, ladies, are coming back to reclaim what rightfully is ours, our lives, living as we truly are, and taking no one’s answers but our very own.
Vocalist Piper Ferrari’s grit carries in every word, from the screams to the more spoken lyrics. The contrast in how she sings throughout the song makes this every bit more heavy and in your face. Ferrari explains that the title actually comes from a Sylvia Plath poem and how she pulled this commanding song from a painful moment. She is recognizing that women are often expected to bend over for others just for existing, sometimes giving in to these unreasonable expectations. Especially in the line, “Tender when I wanna be, Callous when I have to be,” is such a dominating way to express this.
I think of this heavy, dark, and beautiful song, especially in the line, “I have nothing to lose unlike you,” because it also just hits the mark. We don’t have much to lose, and we shouldn’t have to apologize for the way we are because it’s not the way society says women need to act. I have nothing to lose except, I guess, the way you think of me, but how one thinks of you should never define how you carry yourself. We are all our own selves and should be able to express that freely. I used to be so self-conscious and care so much about what others thought of me, but the truth is, the only person I should be trying to be and please is me. The right people meant to be in my life will be there.
