The leader of Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Åkesson, hasn’t been seen much since the election campaign and the formation of the Tidö government. Some speculate that it’s because he doesn’t need to be publicly visible anymore now that he has real political power, while others suggest that he’s been busy recording and writing a single with his band called Adorable Children. The song, titled “Vem dräper draken”, is a nationalist trallpunk song with subpar quality, featuring lyrics about the division of the country and the slavery of citizens under a humanist refugee policy. The song appears to be an entry in the Sweden Democrats’ culture war, targeting the left-liberal establishment that “must be defeated” at all costs. This appears to be a strategic move to maintain an underdog position, rather than acknowledging the party’s failures in delivering on promises made to voters. Critics have also noted similarities between “Vem dräper draken” and Ultima Thule’s “Beast”, which describes alien people “howling for food from smaller and smaller dishes” and leaving “ashes and death” in their wake. Despite the low quality of the song, it serves as a dog whistle to the target audience that Åkesson wants to reach.
The leader of the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Åkesson, has been conspicuously invisible since the election campaign ended and the Tidö government came into being. One explanation is, of course, that he doesn’t need to be seen anymore now that he gets to decide for real, another is that he was busy writing and recording the single with his own band, Adorable Children, which was released the other day. The song is called “Vem dräper draken” and is a nationalistic trallpunk song of subpar quality with a text about “our country being torn apart” and that the population is slaves under a humanist refugee policy. Anyone who has listened to Swedish white power music for more than a second recognizes themselves.
So why are we even writing about this? One argument could be to point out that the single should of course be seen for what it is, clickbait set to music and an entry in the Sweden Democrats’ culture war. The “dragon” in question is “the left-liberal establishment” which “must be defeated” at all costs. It is not a cute hobby, not an expression of an interest in music, but simply a contribution to the debate.
There is a row oddities here of course. Åkesson wonders in his lyrics “who directs this game”. It’s a convenient narrative to fall back on. When this mandate is to be summed up and the voters have to decide again, it is important to maintain the underdog position rather than being a cooperative party that has failed to deliver what it promised the voters.
On his blog, researcher Tobias Hübinette has pointed out another strangeness in “Who Slays the Dragon”, namely the similarity to Ultima Thule’s old “Beast” which describes in an even more explicit way how alien people “howl for food from smaller and smaller dishes” and leaving “ashes and death” in its wake.
Åkesson is a bit more subtle when he calls for a fight, cultivates a “we” and a “judgment” and calls the listeners who don’t care “sheep”.
Does it matter how bad this is? No. The musical dog whistle is heard by exactly the ears Åkesson wants to reach.
Read more reviews and other texts by Po Tidholm