The brilliantly titled Boring Songs for Boring People (which also delights the alliteration geek in me) is the latest release from Irish feminist punk band Problem Patterns. At just six tracks and roughly 13 minutes long, it’s short, sharp, and impossible to ignore — the musical equivalent of being punched in the stomach and then laughing about it afterwards.
When the band released their debut album Blouse Club in 2023, it didn’t just get attention — it won the Northern Ireland Music Prize, so expectations were understandably high for their next move. The title of this EP, as vocalist/guitarist Ciara King explains, is partly tongue-in-cheek:
“I wrote a song called ‘Boring Songs for Boring People’ as a response to people who just love the sound of their own voices, but as an EP title, I think it pokes fun at ourselves, too. Our debut album went better than we ever hoped, so now the pressure is on to put out something equally good. So we’re poking fun at ourselves, I guess? Also, it’s just funny and provocative.”
Personally, I’d say Boring Songs for Boring People is anything but boring. It kicks off with “Song for Fi”, an explosion of frantic guitars and unfiltered screaming — a chaotic, blink-and-you-miss-it opener that sets the tone perfectly.
From there, the EP unfolds like a sonic rollercoaster:
- “Sad Old Woman” brings full-throttle punk energy with a surprise guest appearance from Matt Korvette of Sub Pop noise-punks Pissed Jeans, whose snarling vocals take the track to a whole new level.
- “Classic Rock Has Become My Prison” is a personal favourite — a scathing, hilarious cock-rock spoof with lines like “I need a dirty woman, I need her nice and clean, a real young bleeder if you know what I mean”. It skewers the worst rock clichés while delivering a riff so good it could almost get away with them. Almost.
- “I’m Fine and I’m Doing Great” captures the burnout and chaos of DIY band life with frenzied, shout-along energy: “Oh my god, I’m living the dream!” they scream, equal parts triumphant and exhausted.
- “Bone Idle” slows things down briefly before crashing back into a wall of sound, its sarcastic refrain — “You’re bone idle, you’re bone idle” — lodging itself in your brain for days.
- And closing the EP, “Boring Songs for Boring People” breaks the fourth wall entirely, a tongue-in-cheek self-own that sums up the band’s refusal to take themselves too seriously while taking on, well, everything else.
What makes this EP so compelling is how Problem Patterns balance fury with fun, politics with playfulness. There’s righteous anger here — about burnout, the music industry, sexism, capitalism — but it’s wrapped in humour, chaos, and an infectious sense of community.
The band themselves describe the EP as a “freaky lil record” born from experimentation, swapping instruments and writing lyrics individually to create something raw and unfiltered. As Ciara puts it:
“Post-album gives you mad big feelings about things… it wasn’t conscious, but I guess that made it more emotional too.”
That emotion runs throughout the EP, but so does defiance. Between full-time jobs, relentless touring, and an industry stacked against DIY artists, Problem Patterns have every reason to be exhausted — but instead, they’re louder, weirder, and more unapologetic than ever.
As drummer/vocalist Bethany Crooks puts it:
“The title is kind of a jab at artists these days who don’t say or stand for anything with their music and get praise from the ‘boring people’ who lap up their ‘boring songs.’”
And yet, there’s affection here too, a wink behind the rage — as guitarist Beverley Boal laughs:
“Isn’t calling the people who like our music ‘boring’ just a little bit flirty?”
That mix of cheek, challenge, and catharsis is exactly what makes Boring Songs for Boring People so brilliant. It’s messy, it’s loud, it’s funny, it’s furious — and it’s proof that Problem Patterns remain one of the most exciting punk bands around right now.
Boring Songs for Boring People is out now via Alcopop! Records.
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Review by Hayley Foster da Silva
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