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Artist Name: Pay To Cum
Who Are They: Hardcore punk quartet from Atlanta.
Members
Trav – Vocals
Hunter – Drums
Jalen – Guitar
Mason – Bass
Sounds Like: Classic early D.C. hardcore with traces of reggae blended in. The connection to seminal D.C. punks Bad Brains is obvious, given the group’s name, but don’t make the mistake of discounting them as mere rip-offs. The band plays with the necessary cathartic tension and unhinged aggression the genre demands, but also manage to add a few dynamic wrinkles into their airtight assault. This year’s political shit show has unmasked a volatile climate fueled by hate, fear, and feelings of powerlessness, and Pay To Cum’s incessant pummeling is rooted deep in an ugly truth: it’s high time we all got pissed.
Releases: In September, the band unveiled a four-song demo, Demo 16, which can be downloaded or streamed on Bandcamp.
Mandatory Listening: If you’re looking for an entryway into the band’s frenetic attack, there’s no better place to start then the eponymous track which kicks off their demo. Opening with a sample from ’90s hip-hop duo and Gang Starr associates Group Home, “Pay To Cum” carries elements of everything that makes the band worth paying attention to — breakneck riffs, turn-on-a-dime tempo changes, lyrical bloodletting, and allusions to black culture that exist outside the normal peripheries of hardcore and punk. Like all of their songs it comes and goes in a frantic whirlwind, but the trail of damage it leaves behind is glorious.
Pay To Cum will perform on Wednesday, November 16 at the Drunken Unicorn in support of Dope Fiend, Soul Split, Revenge Season (first show), and Threat Level. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $10. 18+.
More Info
Bandcamp: paytocum.bandcamp.com