War On Women

Capture the Flag

BY Max MorinPublished Apr 9, 2018

7
War on Women bill themselves as a "co-ed, feminist hardcore punk" group. For a genre supposedly obsessed with anarchy, hardcore bands often play it safe when it comes to actual confrontation. No such problems here.
 
Capture the Flag is a no-polish, unedited slab of riot grrl punk rawk. Frontwoman Shawna Porter teaches "bystander intervention training" in her spare time and, judging from her performance here, those classes should be interesting. "Dick Pics," "Predator In Chief," "Divisive Shit" — you get the picture. "Pleasure & the Beast" captures the essence nicely, a tongue-in-cheek anthem to sexual reclamation about Shawna's first blowjob.
 
Capture the Flag's message is strong, but War On Women don't skimp on songwriting. Fans jonesing for a taste of Kim Gordon's bass in Sonic Youth will be satisfied by Sue Warner's rumblings on "Silence Is the Gift." Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna makes an appearance on "YDTMHTL (You Don't Tell Me How To Live)" and "The Violence of Bureaucracy" shows how hard the band can go if the mood strikes them. The only thing that's missing is an earworm single to tie it all together.
(Bridge Nine)

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