Cumgirl8, so the lore goes, met in a sex chat 8000 years ago in another metaverse. Through a series of three EPs, the Manhattan four-piece have traced an account of their birth (‘Cumgirl8’), death (‘RIPCumgirl8’), and afterlife (‘Phantasea Pharm’). Their debut album (‘The 8th Cumming’) narrates their resurrection, presenting a refreshingly feminist and futuristic take on post-punk.
Though the genre is often critiqued for its masculinity and preoccupation with the past, ‘The 8th Cumming’ rests tantalisingly between contradictions: the virtual and the real, the sultry and the didactic, the past and the future.
Cumgirl8 are at their strongest when they embrace rhythmic playfulness, producing tracks which are as danceable as they are politically incisive. Album standout ‘Mercy’ is a new-wave cut about sexting which leaps into a melodramatic refrain urging a digital lover to “come undone with me, be one with me.” Here, sugary sweet vocals are propelled by a weighty rhythm section, illustrating the alienation and frustration which often lay at the intersection of the cybernetic and the sensual.
Meanwhile, the gothic synth-based ‘iBerry’ is similarly successful in producing a contrast between the sensuality of blackberries (the fruit) and the digital possibilities of a BlackBerry (the phone) to interrogate the way women are socialised to “dream of love” they have “yet to see.”
The formula doesn’t always hit with 100 per cent success: the band loses some of its tightness on the lower tempo ballads. ‘Girls Don’t Try’ meanders around a sloping guitar riff but doesn’t quite manage to pack the punch the dancier cuts hold. However, there’s enough interesting material on the LP that these moments don’t drag too much. The risqué politics of tracks like ‘UTI,’ a riot grrrl-inspired cut about the de-stigmatisation of sexual healthcare, keep the album moving both sonically and conceptually.
‘The 8th Cumming’ is a promising look at how the post-punk genre is being innovated by its newest generation of devotees. Melding intriguing lore with a provocative (and sometimes crass) take on feminist politics elevates the album into more interesting territory than mere revivalism. Although Cumgirl8 are still working some things out sonically, the best is seemingly yet to come.
