ALBUM REVIEW: Problem Patterns – Blouse Club (Alcopop! Records)
Irish DIY feminist queerpunk quartet Problem Patterns are one of the brightest up-and-coming names in UK punk, and this is their long-awaited debut album.
They’ve already won admirers in the shape of punk rock legends Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill) and Henry Rollins (Black Flag), and it’s easy to see why.
Their angry message of inclusivity and activism is perfect for the divided times we live in, and the 12 tracks here make up one of the most vital albums I’ve heard in a long time.
Belfast-based Alanah, Bethany, Bev and Ciara got together in 2018, and the first thing that makes Problem Patterns stand out from the punk pack is that they don’t have defined roles in the band.
They don’t have a frontperson, and swap instruments and roles freely, so each member has a voice. Musically it’s a bit ramshackle, but in a good way, reminding me of female punk pioneers The Slits. Oh, and they’re angry. Very angry.
That much is obvious from opening track Yes All Women, which rages about men’s attitudes towards women. “She shouldn’t have to be your girlfriend/She shouldn’t have to be your lover/A woman’s worth should not come down/To how much you wanna fuck her.”
Loud and proud
It’s a stunning line drawn in the sand about what to expect from Blouse Club, but it’s not the angriest song here, not by a long way. The lo-fi Big Shouty warns: “Don’t put me in my place/I will not tame my rage,” while Advertising Services rages “When the people are hungry they’ll eat the rich.”
A History of Bad Men Part II is a searing take-down of the patriarchy and a litany of bad experiences at the hands of men, while Lesbo 3000 sees Problem Patterns reclaim their sexuality loudly and proudly in the face of homophobic slurs.
They show they’ve got a sense of humour with Pity Bra, based around a funny story from a Sleater Kinney gig in Dublin in 2020, but the red mist returns on Who Do We Not Save, about the Tories’ dismantling of the NHS.
With the Covid-19 inquiry rumbling on, the latter is well timed as Problem Patterns point out to a background of buzzsaw guitar: “We’re one or two paychecks away/While they decide who they won’t save/You and I are collateral damage/We are all just collateral damage.”
Poverty Tourist turns the spotlight on those who play at being poor – “You get to play dress up/While others struggle to keep up” – while Picture of Health promotes body positivity.
TERFs Out is a furious queer anthem calling out radical feminists, and if you were expecting them to have calmed down by the closer Domestic Bliss as it’s as angry as anything else here.
Set around a huge sludgy bassline, our girls scream: “Domestic bliss/Who’s doing the dishes/Clean the house/Spread the filth”. What a magnificent album! 9/10.
