Problem Patterns – Blouse Club

I love the fact that this band with band members named Alanah, Bethany, Bev and Ciara can been given the AKA ABBA by their press, it’s the fact that the all inclusiveness is exactly that, it gives the dyslexic a place too, and that’s never a bad thing. Anyway, the album, a debut, this is where the world get to hear exactly what it means to be a breakthrough band that are giving there life’s work to you to be listened to and enjoyed, and the start of a journey that going by this album alone, will/should be a long and fruitful one.

To say that we are witness to something big that’s still taking baby steps, is a bit of an understatement, I remember the first time I heard a band called Bikini Kill or more recently Amyl And The Sniffers, this album took me to that same state of being, a DIY sound that does what it wants and has no time for being anything else other than original and fuck the mainstream.

Twelve songs that carry you through a world that not only needs to exist, but should, songs like ‘Big Shouty’ is exactly that, seems like the obligatory shouty song just to clear the air and all that, but for me it also has a sense of fuck you, stop telling me what to do!, then your thrown into a song like ‘Lesbo 3000’ with its tackling of the homophobia issue and the frustrations that go along with being “not biologically normal” as the dinosaurs of society would like you to believe, both songs sit in this album for there own valid reasons. This is an album that can be described as a collection of songs that deal with relevant modern day issues, but also give some kind of lightheartedness to your day, yes its angst, yes its internal sadness at the lack of being listened to sometimes, but its also a celebration of what is a collective movement, that will/should succeed!.  

The music is reminiscent of being in your bedroom with your mates and just picking up what ever you can try and strum, hit or pluck, singing out loud and not giving a rats ass as to how it sounded as long as it said what you wanted it to say.  This is not to say that this band suck at singing, but giving every member a voice is by way of mutual admiration, is showing us all that this is a band made up of equals, they even swap instruments too, damn that’s serious talent.  

To pick out songs that mean anything to any one person would be an impossible task, as they all have meaning and relevance to so many of us and hopefully they also give the evil eye (we got your number) to the ones that don’t get it, the latter goes out to the likes of those thought about in ‘Poverty Tourist’, which rails against the very people who make it so much harder for communities to get on, the sorts that pretend to be something they can never be (rich and privileged shouldn’t allow to taking the piss), the anger in the song is palpable, this feels personal because it is. A big shout out to ‘TERF’s Out’ too, to the point and boy does the bass in this give it full on sense of foreboding for the archaic idea’s that come along with being a member of the ridiculously sad TERF community.  

Is this an album that you should go and buy?, yes as long as you don’t intend to sell it at an inflationary price later on down the line of course, even though it takes something from everywhere, this is Punk Rock/Hardcore that’s in a league all of its own, the future is most definitely gonna see more Blouse Clubs upon this earth, here’s to that.

Out October 27th via Alcopop! Records, on Pink Vinyl Too!!

Go hang out with the band on Facebook, Bandcamp & Instagram