Seattle punk rock supergroup, Childbirth, is an acquired taste. Their sophomore album, Women’s Rights, opens with a shouting match, and its combative tone is sustained throughout most of the record. Lead singer Julia Shapiro growls lashing lyrics, while Bree McKenna holds down the bass and Stacy Peck drives the drums.
However, knowing that the trio performs in maternity gowns underscores the reality that Childbirth doesn’t take itself very seriously. It’s clear they have a lot to say; with 13 songs over the course of a mere 28 minutes, Women’s Rights tackles a range of topics beyond the title of their album, without ever losing its dry sense of humor. Sarcasm permeates this record, and whether they are addressing matters of feminism, technology, homophobia or parenthood, Childbirth always dance the line between funny and biting.
On “Tech Bro,” Shapiro drawls, “I’ll let you explain feminism to me/ … If I can use your HD TV,” mocking the tech-obsessed, impersonal society we live in today with their flippant, punk-rock attitude. And “Siri, Open Tinder” attacks the tendency to judge on appearance and the urge to categorize each other.
Musically, the highlights of the record come from the assertive guitar riffs, such as “The Twilight Zone” ripple in “Cool Mom” and the scratchy opening of “Baby Bump.” But a lot of the tracks blend into each other due to their short length and repetitive shouty nature, leaving only lyrical content to distinguish them from each other.
I can’t pretend that I enjoyed this album in terms of melody because, honestly, there’s never really much of one. But I will admit that their sense of humor built over the 28-minute record. Despite the fact that it sounds like they were just making stuff up in the studio, the melody is not the point. It seems Childbirth couldn’t care less if their voices sounded pretty. In fact, they probably couldn’t care less about what anybody else thinks—that’s clear from the very first shouted note until the very last.
Grade: C+
This story was originally attributed to Mary Sullivan. It was instead written by Rose Lundy. The Daily Cardinal regrets this error.
