There’s really no way to find order in the chaos of noise-punk band Whorecough. The Virginia four-piece had their first show in a storage unit in the town where they met and since then have self-released a demo that combines styles of punk that don’t make sense on paper, but somehow work perfectly together.
Powered by fuzzy, Spaceman 3-inspired guitar riffs and thrashing, hardcore drum parts, the six songs make for a ferocious mix that makes me want to spastically scream singer Natalie Strickland’s strange, poetic lyrics right along with her. Strickland’s vocal effects are reminiscent of Perfect Pussy’s fiery Meredith Graves, while her wavy pitch changes bring to mind the volatile, aggro behavior of Ex-Cult’s Chris Shaw. Rapid bass lines on tracks like “Holes” and “Git in the Mud” reveal an appreciation for experimental noise, taking cues most noticeably from hardcore act Cult Ritual. Whorecough slows down for a second on “Mary’s Rat,” but echo-y shouts build steadily into an explosive chorus that’ll have you head-banging in fast-mo in no time.
Whorecough’s demo is a promising one that shows room for growth and gets me stoked on punk music again. Peep it in full below and check out their next show in Virginia at the Blue Nile on July 15th.
