The chiming synths, electro-clash vibes, and high-pitched vocals of “Karma Police” – no, not that one – provoke and tease the boundaries of what music should be. As the album plays out, the group blend raw punk energy with an eclectic range of electronic experimentation, avant-garde noise, and sexual liberation.
“ahhhh!hhhh! (i don’t want to go)” oscillates between the retro analogue sounds of an 80s goth dancefloor, and horror movie soundtracks, as does “Mercy” with that chilly detached feeling running down your spine. Barely halfway in and cumgirl8 continues to carve out their own space when "hysteria!" delivers a fierce blend of lo-fi punk, warped synths, and alien melodies. The quartet of Lida Fox, Veronika Vilim, Avishag Cohen Rodrigues, and Chase Lombardo artfully wrap biting commentary on power dynamics and the politics of sexuality in a package of robotic vocal effects and spacy chords. ”uti” is a chaotic collage of pieces. It’s brash, loud, and a testament to the band’s ability to craft pointed critiques without losing their sense of fun.
Themes of femme empowerment – particularly through self-expression, identity, and reclaiming one’s autonomy – are palpable here. Cumgirl8 never shy away from exploring these heavier themes of alienation and self-awareness, but they balance it with a sense of playful absurdity, injecting their punk ethos with surrealist humour. Maybe it’s a reach to suggest The Cure-sounding basslines of “girls don’t try” pay homage to the former's “Boys Don’t Cry” but it fits the era and sonic collectivism that the band uses when compiling their songs.
Stylistically, The 8th Cumming is a debut album that feels like a love letter to 80s New York post-punk with that goth streak running throughout. Tracks are splintered with sudden bursts of noise, industrial beats, and disjointed synth layers that, on the surface, seem messy. But within that chaos, cumgirl8 finds a hypnotic groove. They are exuding seductive and dystopian aesthetics. Lyrics are a mix of sardonic, tongue-in-cheek critiques on society’s obsession with sex, and gender, cyberfeminism is a big touchstone as well as how the political and the personal intertwine. Cumgirl8 are deliberately provocative, yet they often come from a place of deep introspection. Flipping the script on toxic masculinity, while dismantling the commodification of femininity with biting wit and a fair amount of anxious doom. “Everything smells of lavender and rosemary / honeysuckle and blackberries / so why can’t I stop crying?” as “iBerry” puts things.
In the current musical landscape, cumgirl8 stands out as a refreshing force of transgressive experimentation. At a time when even alternative and underground music can feel sanitized, they remain thrillingly unpredictable. While their music shouldn’t shock in 2024 it’s an important sign of the times that The 8th Cumming might still have the capacity to feel daring or rebellious to some. It should be pretty normal, and healthy, to voice these things in the 21st century. They are rightly unapologetic and liberating in the most artistic, creative sense and that’s exactly what we need.
