Would you corrupt your morals for fame?

How far will you go for fame? Would you corrupt your morals, give into pressure, destroy yourself? 

MAN BITES DOG is the first full-length album from digital hardcore band femtanyl, a band I’ve been following for quite some time now. After two EPs — 2023’s CHASER and 2024’s REACTOR — along with collaborations with the likes of Danny Brown, ISSBROKIE, and takihasdied, the trio have taken their talents to the next level. 

The group consists of Noelle Mansbridge and Juno Callender, both of whom are transgender women. The album, according to Mansbridge, was made during a turbulent and strange time in the duo's lives and was mostly made in separate locations, only coming together near the end of the production. 

“BODY THE PISTOL” is the first song on the album, and it set the tone for the mood of the album and its underlying theme of the fears of the trans community in the face of recent pushback from certain groups. Specifically targeted in this song are those who label trans people as cancers and plights. However, the group persists, signaling throughout the song that they will protect their identity with their lives. 

The elements of confrontation over beliefs continue into the next few tracks. In the second track, “VIDEO NASTY,” the main character asks “What is it, are you scared or are you mad?” a possible question proposed to transphobes who hate the main character, and, by extension, femtanyl themselves, for their identity. 

That theme continues, but the idea of destroying oneself begins to show itself in “SICK OF IT,” the third track. The line “They just don’t want me/Think this destruction/Get my likes and get my precedent,” lays the groundwork for what comes later in the album. 

Tracks four and five, “HELLTARGET” and “CITY,” make mention of money, cameras, and decay. Specifically in “CITY,” they talk about how those who hate and attack transgender individuals look just like normal people, and a few even come from within the LGBTQ+ community.  

The main character’s relationship with who appears to be their partner also shows up during “CITY.” Despite the main character’s partner being depicted as manipulative in the lyrics, she still wants to be with them, even saying “I will give you payment/I just want you to love me,” implying that the partner's love is so important that she will lower herself to paying just to keep it. 

The next song, “HEAD UP,” contradicts the previous tracks and comes at a breaking point for the main character where she is tired of the abuse and constant putting down from her partner. Insulting the partner throughout the track, the main character seems to be done with the relationship and leaves. 

The most impactful song on the album, in my opinion, is the seventh track, “MY HEAD HURTS.” Using a sample from the 1983 horror film Sleepaway Camp, the main character takes a back seat for a speaker, who assumedly is the parent of the main character. The speaker seems to mock the main character with quotes like “I mean, we already have a boy/So another one simply would not do” and “A little girl would be so much nicer/Don’t you think so Angela?” at the end, reflecting the sad reality of most transgender individuals, the speaker dead-names the character, showing their true colors in not caring in the slightest about the main character’s chosen identity. 

The next track, “SHOWS YOU THE WAY TO THE HIWAY,” seems to deal with the fallout of the previous tracks. The main character seems to be suicidal in this track, as at one point she stands in oncoming traffic with the lines “Block these cars, just in the way/Wanna die, took it right.” A reference to Bodies by Drowning Pool adds to this idea, as the referenced track details themes of a breaking point, which is where the main character is currently at. 

It seems this breaking point relates to the chase for fame, as found in the title track. The lines “Suspicious, I start the machine/Cut the feed, I shock the weak/I take off my body, press flush, begin,” talk about filming and stripping your old self and putting on a new self when the camera is on you. 

The name of the song, and the album itself, supports this idea. MAN BITES DOG is in reference to the 1992 Belgian black comedy mockumentary of the same name. The movie’s main message is about how destruction and violence turn into entertainment when there’s a camera and a chance of fame to be had. With that context, the last two songs seem to speak on the idea that the main character is either filming their self-destruction, and possibly their last moments, or being filmed for that 15 minutes of fame, even if it’s not their intention to do so. 

The final song, “IS THIS IT,” seems to continue the story from “SHOW YOU THE WAY TO THE HIWAY” and “MAN BITES DOG,” as it seems the lyrics are of the main character facing the fact that her life could be over.  

The lyrics early on reflect the suicidal tendencies, but as the song goes on, the main character seems to be regretting their situation as she tries to escape the current situation but can’t find a way out. The lines “Please get out of this/Get out of this okay,” paired with the last portion of the song being peaceful puts the ending of the album at a crossroads of whether the main character was saved or killed. 

Overall, the album details how the chase for entertainment has overridden concern for well-being and morals, as well as adding a real-world element of having to battle the rampant transphobia in today’s world. The album is heavy in both its musical composition and lyrical content and shows that the band is just getting started. Genuinely, the album was one of the best I’ve listened to in a long time, and I am excited for future projects for the duo. 

How far will you go for fame?