Childbirth

, It’s a Girl! (out now, Help Yourself Records, childbirth.bandcamp.com)

Motherhood is totally punk rock. There’s agony, despair, blood, and lots of screaming. It’s like seeing Black Flag in the ’80s, only more excruciating. This new Seattle punk-rock outfit aptly harnesses the energy of the experience with this debut release, available digitally and as a limited-edition cassette. Consisting of Julia Shapiro of Chastity Belt, Bree McKenna of Tacocat, and Stacy Peck of Pony Time, Childbirth distills the collective spirit of each member’s separate projects to its hardest and grimiest. In less than 20 minutes, the band describes the harrowing, hilarious journey from conception to menopause. The cassette opens with the kicking and screaming “Childbirth,” where all three women repeatedly refrain “It’s a girl!” On “I Only Fucked You as a Joke,” Shapiro hopes she’s not pregnant, bemoaning the potential baby daddy: “You’re not that cool/And you look like a troll.” Every riff on this cassette builds on the previous track’s intensity, and there’s never a moment for quiet reflection; it’s all about pushing through to the next disaster. Bass lines chug and drums pummel viciously. The quick-hitting short tracks are reminiscent of Keith Morris’ project OFF!, but with more irreverent snarl than psychotic babble (to wit: the cover art, featuring a pink fetus playing its umbilical cord like a saxophone). Childbirth may be a brand-new baby, but with first words like “Giant Vagina,” it won’t be long until it’s crawling, leaving behind it a trail of destruction. (Tues., Jan. 14, Chop Suey) 


Childbirth

Childbirth