PLQ MRX – Cumgitsum EP

Description

The five mysterious members of PLQ MRX are a motley crew of self-proclaimed “acid freaks, sex addicts, dealers, pimps, and clowns.” Somewhere between Flipper and Funkadelic, the quintet’s grimy wall of rock churns forward with an air of lysergic jubilance, a walloping dirge whose swirling squalls of guitar are peppered with de-tuned trombone, clown samples, and drunken howls. Across five twisted tracks of cacophony and swagger, the EP evokes the chaotic rites of Butthole Surfers’ early years.
Connoisseurs of the dangerous and depraved might recall a Philadelphia band known as Plaque Marks which surfaced initially in 2017, releasing one EP, “Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship” on Reptilian/Learning Curve, and touring the US with Unsane. Stereogum’s review of that EP described it as “primitive and feral… smashed-to-shit vocal distortion, gravel-throated bass tone and a couple guitars that sound like they’re being picked with glass shards.” Decibel Magazine characterized the sound as “nasty in all the right ways” and Bandcamp Daily stated: “The whole thing feels like being hit in the chest with a medicine ball full of bacon fat.”
Like a crazed phoenix rising from those ashes, PLQ MRX picks up where Plaque Marks left off. Consisting of one or two members of the original gang, the identities can only be guessed at, but rumors point to musicians who have played in bands such as Unsane, Swans, Foetus, Author & Punisher, and Ecstatic Vision, as well as to the owner of one of Philly’s most notorious rock dives, Kung Fu Necktie.
Amidst a current surge of noise rock, exemplified by the success of Chat Pile and festivals such as Caterwaul, PLQ MRX puts forth a spectacle that pushes the genre into a more theatrical and psychedelic realm. “Noise rock was the base when we started,” states vocalist Alrightus, “but I feel more aligned with ’70s funk and obscure European rock than anything else. Funkadelic is universal. If you can’t dig that, you don’t deserve to live. LOL. A sense of humor is very important.”