Capitalism kills almost as much as the cops do and despite what the wellness influencers say, mindfulness, crystals, and meditation don’t heal like they say they do. On their latest single, “nothing (in my head)” [out via Hopeless Records] Baltimore-based pop-punk outfit Pinkshift (vocalist Ashrita Kumar, guitarist Paul Vallejo, and drummer Myron Houngbedji) uses their own noteworthy brand of hope punk nihilism to break through the what feels like a never-ending loop of anguish.
The official visual for the track directed by David Zawodny centers on the unholy marriage between social media, the twenty-four-hour media cycle, and how literal years of isolation have turned our brains into the consistency of lukewarm porridge. Set within an abandoned warehouse, a faceless figure holds the group hostage and forces them to consume a dizzying array of content including the funerals of the Uvalde schoolchildren, right-wing pundits spewing vitriol, unboxing videos, and crypto bro preaching. All of this is interspersed with the members scrolling through their phones while having it projected on the screen behind them. Despite the literal carousel of man-made horrors in front of them, the gang remains passive, almost bored-looking towards one another as though they’re counting down the minutes to lunch.
Fed up despite being tied down, the group manages to break free of their straight jackets. Then kicks the shit out of the projector and their faceless captor finally breaking for the exit. Tripping and stumbling, they find their way to their instruments and give an impromptu concert in the parking lot of the warehouse. Dancing wildly lead singer Ashrita serves the starving crowd, belting out the song’s chorus, “I feel so goddamn numb / I can’t feel you anymore / can I can I please be done/I can’t stay trapped inside this box much longer any more” as fans jam out with her.
What more is there to say? Pinkshift’s brand of hope punk nihilism is one as bloody and guttural as their sound and it resonates. It’s hard to be hopeful for a future that seems to be getting marked down for quick sale. It’s hard to be happy with who you are when everything you own was made with blood and sold to you by weaponizing your own insecurities. It’s hard to feel safe when dinosaurs tell you to wait to receive your rights and people that look like you and that you love are killed with impunity. It’s hard to feel like things are “going back to normal” when a million of your fellow citizens have died especially when you get the eerie feeling that they will be swept under the rug. Their deaths were marked off as an ‘oopsie’. It’s hard these days to feel anything but rage or moroseness or at best, a numbness that still cuts like frostbite as you scroll, equally cold, and unfeeling. The oppression of gender stops only when you see another sweaty queer dancing in a packed club and hope to the gods you succeed in trying to chat them up (happy pride from Philly, btw). The presence of young, white gays in your neighborhood feels like a dirge, no matter how many Black Lives Matter signs they hang in their windows. As Bastille called it on Doom Days, “I’m live streaming the final days of Rome.”
On the brink of the first true Vaxxed Girl Summer, since COVID hit at the top of 2020, the sight of a group dancing together is invigorating as it is slightly rueful. A desire to escape from screens, algorithms, and sponsorships is itchy as a mosquito bite and Pinkshift definitely delivers with their own flavor of what communal joy looks like post-COVID.
Coming off the release of Saccharine last year and a tour with labelmate Bayside, Pinkshift is one of the loudest and freshest voices in pop-punk and riot grrrl. Although the band hasn’t made mention of their plans to release more new music (much less a full album) we’re eagerly waiting to see what the rest of the summer holds for the trio.
What did you think of Pinkshift’s video for the single “nothing (in my head)”? Let us know below in the comment section. Want more of Pinkshift? Be sure to connect with them across your favorite social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
