REVIEW: Twat Union - Don’t Blame the Peach

TWAT UNION’s Don’t Blame the Peach is feminist punk packed with personality, finally bringing fan favourite tracks into their growing fanbase’s headphones and musing on everything from the change in how the world perceives women as they age to sneaking some self love in between work from home meetings. 

Don’t Blame the Peach opens with WFH, starting with a power chord riff and a smirk in KATE MAC's voice as she whispers “wanking from home” as an introduction. As this would suggest, WFH’s theme is having a cheeky wank while in the home office, and is packed with office based puns; KPI meaning kinky porn intake was the one that got an audible laugh on the first listen.

The tongue and cheek in the lyricism carries well as the subject matter gets a little heavier in follow up Tiny Shorts, covering catcalling within the context of contemplating feminist theory while walking in booty shorts and having a man dare to interrupt your flow. Tiny Shorts in particular shows the skill of TWAT UNION’s lyricism despite its cheeky veneer - the contrast between the innuendo of “big deep thoughts” and the sensual “oh my god” ad libs in the second half when discussing the lack of sexual interest in the perpetrator of the catcalling was resonant, and the balance of levity when discussing the heavier topics was well struck at the end with the “would you look at the thoughts on that one” ad lib at the end. 

The middle of Don't Blame the Peach is where the anticipated recording of Period Sex sits: a fan favourite live, it is a mainly-spoken-word piece atop a tempo-climbing riff that matches the chaos spiral of the track’s story. The premise is evident in the title, while over the verses MAC starts with the joy of meeting a man happy to satisfy her needs at any time of the month before waking up the night after and realising the towel of safety had disappeared and the stains had hit the sheets. By this revelation the whole track has devolved into high speed screechy guitars as MAC considers blocking the man then blaming him for the towel-pull as she runs down his street. The lyrics of Period Sex exemplify the grounded comedy woven into TWAT UNION’s music: “I’m horny, lubricated, and I might even cry after” for the comedy; and the EPs namesake line “You wouldn’t blame the peach for getting the juice down your hand” screamed with the exasperation of a crash out is a testament to the feeling that TWAT UNION are writing what they know with great effect. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dA8FhKZyzw

Penultimate track and single Pay Me More stood out sonically, with its angsty feeling and thread  of trying not to say sorry when advocating for yourself in the workplace. As with Tiny Shorts the levity through jokes is balanced well with the pit in the stomach that the confrontation portion of the track develops - “don’t beat around the bush when we’re talking about pay” garnered a chuckle while the portion of her smiling through the pain of creating a whole Powerpoint just to be paid equally hit home in the real experience of being a career-focused woman. The cut off call and response of “sorry” woven throughout is effective in crafting the anxiety and offsets the on the nose nature of the open discussion of workplace discrimination. Closing out Don’t Blame the Peach is W.I.T.C.H, which muses on the hormonal changes of aging, from the perception of a confident adult woman becoming more and more unsavoury to the angry urges of PMS becoming harder to quell. The second verse stands out with the witch imagery being woven less directly, with the justification for stewing soup being because of batch cooking and the punchline of liking how the kitchen broom feels between the legs, then Don’t Blame the Peach closes with MAC's screams of “I’m melting”. 

Don’t Blame the Peach is as delightfully cheeky as it is resonant to the experience of women with their feet firmly landed in adulthood, where reckless office decisions meet the genuine fight to excel as they deserve, sonically MAC's tone when she sings is a richer low tone, matching perfectly with a 70s punk soundscape that feels refreshing within the current modern punk scene. The main thing missing from Don’t Blame the Peach is BETH HOPKINS and TESSA ALISON's horns - hopefully they’ll be more present on TWAT UNIONs next stint of live shows in the coming year.

Score: 7/10  

Don’t Blame the Peach will be released on 20th February via Alcopop! Records.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Lily Doidge