On the heels of announcing the October 21 release of their debut album Love Me Forever, Pinkshift have confirmed an extensive headline tour of North America. The dates kick off in their hometown, Baltimore, MD, on October 20 and conclude on November 18 in Boston, MA. The tour makes stops in Los Angeles, CA on November 5 and Brooklyn, NY on November 17. Jigsaw Youth and Yasmin Nur are the support for the tour. In September Pinkshift will open for Destroy Boys on a handful of East Coast as well as play the Emo Nite New Orleans Vacation with 100 Gecs, and Bring Me the Horizon. Tickets are on-sale @ 10:00am local time HERE and all shows are listed below.
Pinkshift are a heavy, vehemently unapologetic punk band whose songs rail against prejudice and oppression while also examining in great depth the human condition. The Baltimore-based trio – Ashrita Kumar (vocals, they/them), Paul Vallejo (guitar, he/him), Myron Houngbedji (drums, he/him) – have been making their mark both in the U.S. and across the pond since forming in 2018, thanks to a string of critically acclaimed singles, and tours with the likes of PUP and Mannequin Pussy. They eschewed plans for medical school and chemical engineering to pursue music, deliver powerful messages, and show fellow POC artists that they can and should take up space in a predominantly white music scene, and the result is one of the most inventive bands in the punk scene today. Pre-order Love Me Forever HERE!
Love Me Forever was recorded by Will Yip (Turnstile, Mannequin Pussy, The Wonder Years, Circa Survive, Tigers Jaw) and over the course of its’ 12 blistering songs, Love Me Forever completely unleashes the full force and fury of the band. To date the band have shared the album’s “nothing (in my head),” which exemplified the band’s agility as they walk the line between riot grrl, punk rock, and post-hardcore, and more recently “i’m not crying, you’re crying” a breakneck journey into the heart, soul and mind of a band that, clearly, have a lot to get off their chest, and who do so just as viscerally as they do emotionally
TOUR DATES
9/10 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts*
9/11 – Hartford, CT – Webster Underground*
9/13 – Montreal , QC – La Sala Rossa*
9/14 – Toronto, ON – The Hard Luck*
9/29 – New Orleans, LA – Emo Nite New Orleans Vacation^
10/20 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
10/21 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd
10/22 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Roboto Project
10/23 – Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s
10/25 – Detroit, MI – El Club
10/26 – Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge
10/27 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
10/29 – Denver, CO – Lost Lake
10/ 30 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
11/01 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
11/02 – Portland, OR – Mission Theater
11/04 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
11/05 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
11/06 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
11/08 – Dallas, TX – Ruins
11/09 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room
11/11 – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
11/13 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
11/14 – Nashville, TN – Drkmttr Collective
11/15 – Charlotte, NC – The Milestone Club
11/17 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere (Zone One)
11/18 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
*with Destroy Boys
^with 100 Gecs, Bring Me the Horizon
Love Me Forever Track Listing:
- i’m not crying you’re crying
- nothing (in my head)
- GET OUT
- cherry (we’re all gonna die)
- the kids aren’t alright
- Trust Fall
- in a breath
- Cinderella
- BURN THE WITCH
- Love Me Forever
- let me drown
- Dreamer
More on Pinkshift & Love Me Forever:
Forming in 2018 while they were students at Johns Hopkins University, Pinkshift have experienced significant landmarks in their career to date – the video for Saccharine’s “i’m gonna tell my therapist on you” went viral, they’ve supported PUP and Mannequin Pussy on tour, have been featured in The Guardian, Kerrang!, Stereogum and Alternative Press and sold out their first ever headline show at Baltimore’s Ottobar – but it’s just the tip of the iceberg as anyone who has seen their highly energetic, whirlwind and very sweaty live shows can attest.
Unlike, Saccharine which was written over a period of a few years, Love Me Forever was a more concentrated effort, mostly written during the pandemic. “We were concerned this wouldn’t feel like an actual album,” admits Kumar, “but because we all worked on it together throughout this period of time, it feels really cohesive. It defines an era of our lives.” Adds Houngbedji, “with everything that’s going on – both in the world and in our own lives – it feels like it was a very transitional period that influenced what we were writing about. They all have similar themes.” It’s not just a no-holds-barred reflection of the state of the world today, however. It’s one delivered from a unique point of view within a music scene that’s predominantly white. It makes Love Me Forever all the more important.
“I feel like the biggest thing of us existing in this scene,” says Houngbedji, “is just for more people of color being able to see us – and if they had doubts about going into music or like occupying this kind of space because of what the scene is like, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, wait…’ We’ve had people of color come up to us after we played saying ‘You make me want to start my own band’ or ‘You made me feel more comfortable being there without being scrutinized.’ And I think that counts for something.”
Adds Kumar, “It’s cool seeing people at our shows who are like ‘I’m going to start wearing my traditional jewelry because fuck it!’ and I’m like ‘You should! It’s stylish, it’s cool, it makes you unique – be proud of it!’”
That attitude, ultimately, is the beating heart of Pinkshift. It’s about defying the odds on both a personal and a universal level and showing the world – unapologetically – that they’re taking it on, and that the world better be ready. In fact, so invested in what the band means, they’ve delayed opportunities and offers for more traditional careers paths, like med school (Houngbedji & Kumar) or in chemical engineering (Vallejo) to focus on the band instead. What’s more, it’s paying off – “I literally never thought I would ever be in a position like this in music,” says Vallejo.
“I feel like we can actually do something with our music,” agrees Kumar. “Before, it felt almost selfish to be in a band, because we were all going to do different jobs that were probably <> going to fucking help people. But now, I feel we can make people feel empowered to be themselves and express themselves. Even if it’s ugly, because sometimes anger is self-care – especially when you’re faced with all these systems that are just always trying to fucking kill you.”
