Single Review: Scene Queen and Set It Off Bleed in Perfect Harmony With Collab "Barbie & Ken"

Do y’all remember the 1986 biopic “Sid and Nancy”? It’s based off of the life of Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious and the tumultuous and destructive relationship that he had with his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. It’s a cult classic. What if Sid and Nancy were, instead of leather-and-spikes clad punks, clad in neon pink 80s workout wear? That’s what the music video for the song “Barbie & Ken” by Scene Queen and Set It Off feels like.

The video opens with Scene Queen (real name Hannah Collins) playing with the quintessential 1980s toy, small plastic army men (painted pink, of course.) She then picks up a retro cordless phone and dials Cody Carson of pop-rock band Set It Off to call him over to the house and hop on the track. Both Hannah and Cody are dressed in caricatured versions of 1980s streetwear, all in shades of pink. As Cody- I mean Ken- enters Barbie’s Dream House, the fighting begins.

The song itself is full of the moments Scene Queen is known for. She includes references to nostalgic pop culture, like the old taunt, “Ken and Barbie, sitting in a tree…”, but she turns it upside down by inserting the word “KILLING” instead of “KISSING.” It also has moments that are very cohesive with the rest of Set It Off’s discography, like the big harmonies and arena-rock sounds in the chorus. The dissonant harmony of the line “we bleed in perfect harmony” is absolutely perfect songwriting.

The song as a whole is a true crime tale of a destructive relationship, set in shades of pink and satire. More than that, it’s just fun. It’s a visually fun video, it’s a fun song to turn the volume up to in the car, and I’m sure it’s going to be wildly fun to see and hear live at Scene Queen’s upcoming shows.

[PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING]

PS- I’d be remiss not to mention domestic abuse. While this song is satirical and fun, it does portray a relationship that, if it happened in real life, would be incredibly abusive. That is not something that we take lightly here at NScene. If you found this song or video to be triggering and are in the USA, please contact the Domestic Abuse Hotline by calling 800-799-7233, or text SMART to 88788.