Psst, we’ve (re)rebranded our Artist of the Month series to CoSign, but it remains an accolade given to an up-and-coming artist or group who is poised for the big time. For October 2022, we’re highlighting Baltimore rock outfit Pinkshift and their thrilling, unapologetic debut album Love Me Forever.
Just 30 seconds into “i’m not crying you’re crying,” the opening track to Pinkshift’s thrilling Love Me Forever (out October 21st), the rising punkers make their intentions abundantly clear: They’re here to pack unadulterated emotions into unapologetically ferocious rock songs. “I’m totally fine/ I wasn’t crying,” vocalist Ashrita Kumar sings on the chorus, “I totally lied/ I swear I’m trying.”
The 12 songs of Love Me Forever carry with them a palpable urgency, the type that blends feelings of confidence, anxiety, rage, and empathy. The band, composed of Kumar, guitarist Paul Vallejo, and drummer Myron Houngbedji, play off each other in such a way that makes it impossible to listen while sitting still. Be careful when you hit play — even if you’re alone, a mosh pit is bound to start.
“We recorded it literally this March, like this year, and we’re like, alright, this has gotta go now, push it out, people need to hear this,” Kumar explains to Consequence. “We’re just really excited for people to hear this shit. We just want them to have it.”
Pinkshift present as if they’re capable of taking on the world (and we’re pretty confident they can), which is likely why they’ve risen so fast. It was only a few years ago when Kumar and Vallejo began writing songs together while attending college. Mining their grunge, punk, and pop influences, it wasn’t long before the two had a sound of their own. Eager to record and perform, they drafted up a poster in the hopes of finding a drummer.
“Starting a music writing project, we’re looking for a drummer to play with us. We have an album’s length of originals written already and we have all other members,” the poster read. “We fall into the hard rock/punk rock genre influences include No Doubt, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and Catfish & the Bottlemen. We want someone who is able to play fast and heavy. Commitment is low key — no pressure.” Surely, such a description must have been enticing for Houngbedji, one of the few drummers at their university with an interest in heavier music, right?