Belfast-based DIY feminist queerpunk quartet PROBLEM PATTERNS are delighted to return with new single ‘Sad Old Woman’, featuring vocals from Matt Korvette of Pissed Jeans (Sub Pop Records) and set for release on 16th April 2025 via Alcopop! Records.
Commenting on the track, the band say: “Sad Old Woman is about accepting the inevitable. The older women get, the more they’re forced to maintain a certain image and decorum, lest they become grotesque or even worse, invisible. There is a checklist of life goals ingrained in our society that we feel pressured to complete by a certain age; many that seemed obvious in previous decades seem less attainable for the majority now. To critique these standards can often invite remarks of bitterness. Ageing is a gift, and we should embrace it while we can.”
A formative influence for Problem Patterns since day one, the collaboration with Pissed Jeans on the new track seems to have been written in the stars. “One of our early songs, ‘Mediocre Man’, was kind of a satirical response to their song ‘Boring Girls’,” explain the band. “We finally got to see Pissed Jeans live in Dublin in 2024, with Alanah wearing a bootleg Pissed Jean T-shirt made by the rest of the band. We told Matt about how much they inspired us and joked around about asking him to collaborate—like with most things we do, we committed to the bit and he was on board.”
Known for his intensely creative vocals, Korvette took the role and ran with it. Playing the voice of the inner saboteur of the ‘Sad Old Woman’ in a grotesque and tongue in cheek manner, he couldn’t be a better fit for the track.“We’re endlessly grateful that he wanted to get involved and he has more than delivered with his iconic, manic vocals,” say the band. “From Boring Girls to Mediocre Man to Sad Old Woman, the circle is complete.”
On the collaboration, Pissed Jeans vocalist Matt Korvette said: “I met Problem Patterns after they were slamming up front in homemade Pissed Jeans shirts at a show, and am deeply honored to contribute to “Sad Old Woman”. I hope to one day wear my own homemade Problem Patterns shirt in their pit! The sad old woman is the woman in me…”
Alongside the new single, the band are pleased to announce new April/May 2025 EU, UK and Ireland tour dates, plus festival appearances at NXNE, Under The Drum, and Get In Her Ears Fest, and support dates with BO NINGEN and Michael Cera Palin.
Live Dates:
16th April – Belgium – Trixx Club (‘A Place To Bury Strangers’ aftershow)
17th April – Rotterdam – Motel Mozaique
18th April – Maastricht – Raise The Volume Punx
19th April – Utrecht – DBs x Riot House
20th April – Rotterdam – Start Your Own Riot Grrrl Band Workshop
24th April – Dublin – Swim Tissue, Anseo (w/ Spit!)
25th April – Longford – TBA
26th April – Derry – Numuze, Bennigans (w/ Cloakroom Q + Sensory Overload)
01st May – Limerick – Wombat Promotions, Record Roo
02nd May – Waterford – Luca Records (w/ Big Tears)
03rd May – Newry – Yewtree Promotions, Magnet Centre
06th May – Belfast – USC (w/ Michael Cera Palin)
07th May – Dublin, Workmans (w/ Michael Cera Palin)
06th June – Bath – Alcopop! Stage (w/Bo Ningen + Cherym)
11th–15th – NXNE – Toronto
09th August – NI – Under The Drum
27th September – London – Cavendish Arms – Get In Her Ears Fest