In an interview, frontman Dave Bello explained that “January 10th, 2014” was inspired by a true story the band members read in an NY Magazine article (and not the This American Life as originally reported). It was written as a tribute to a female vigilante from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. In 2013, this killer hunted bus drivers in retribution for women who had been murdered travelling alone on public buses. In letters claiming responsibility for the killings, she called herself “Diana, the hunter of drivers”. Diana was the Roman goddess of hunting, childbirth and the moon, and the song contains plenty of references to her attributes.
Posting on their Facebook page, the band explained the song:
“January 10th, 2014” is about retaliation against predators. The character in the song, Diana, is based on the story of a woman from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico who avenged unprosecuted and largely ignored sexual assaults being committed by bus drivers on their routes. The video replaces the real life Diana with Dianic Wiccans who protect themselves using hexes and their own spirituality. The male character in the video is a predator, and therefore must be destroyed.