Ending 2023 with their long awaited debut album, ‘Blouse Club’, Problem Patterns have made their mark in the modern punk scene with what feels like a timeless record. With support from Riot Grrrl icon, Kathleen Hannah, Problem Patterns have been taking win after win with their continuous milestones over the past few years, including support tours with Le Tigre and Dream Wife, along with winning Best Music video for their single, ‘Who Do We Not Save’. Their four single lead in gave us a pretty good idea of what was to come from the DIY punk Belfast-based group and it’s nothing short of explosive, dominating and downright powerful.
Opening the album with distorted crunchy guitars and bass along with a powerful drum intro, Problem Patterns have set the tone for this record with ‘Y.A.W.’ Alanah commands the listeners’ attention with empowering and dominating lyricism, she doesn’t hold back in saying it just as it is. The opening track is a straight up headbanger that makes you want to jump into a mosh pit and scream your lungs out.
Throughout the next few tracks, the band touches on different political topics from gender inequality to LGBTQ+ rights to capitalism. They take an intersectional approach to their song writing in its most raw form, the perfect example of this being ‘Lesbo 3000’. Drummer, Bethany Crooks, takes the lead on this as she reclaims slurs that have been used against lesbians and wlw (women-loving-women) people for quite some time. With lyricism like “we’re not male commodities”, Beth puts forward an empowering statement to emphasise how wlw relationships are really viewed, while not being taken as seriously as straight couples or even mlm (men-loving-men) couples, how lesbian relationships are constantly invalidated through media. This song is what true punk feels like.
Slowing the album down for a little bit of a breather, ‘Pity Bra’ is placed perfectly at the mid way point, showing the versatility of the band’s sound, while all the other tracks are filled with hard hitting drums and overdriven guitars, this is where Problem Patterns take their softer approach in their more gentle sound showing us a wholesome story between friends.
We’re back with more energy, aggression and power with ‘Who do we not save’. Throughout the rest of the record we hear that raw punk energy that Problem Patterns never fail to produce. From tracks like ‘TERFs out’ and ‘Letter of Resignation’ we’re embraced with strong political statements that feel like an homage to the original riot grrrl movement. It is a timeless record that is filled with chunky basslines, distorted guitar riffs, powerful drums and the most empowering lyrics you’ll ever hear.
Every song on this record stands on its own, delving into topics which a lot of artists are afraid to write about, Problem Patterns aren’t scared to show us their true untethered selves in their most authentic form. Every song has a lyric that you could see written on a placard at a protest or a rally. There is no taming feminist rage when it comes to Problem Patterns. They are an absolute powerhouse creating punk anthems that just make you want to headbang until you end up in A&E. ‘Blouse Club’ is impactful, infectious and full of expression.
