Record Label: 8 Bit Records
Genre: Casio Punk
Band Link:
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Decent, brash punk doing the neo-retro thing. I like electro/Casio-punk, but even at their most synthy the Sump Pumps’ brash punkiness overpowers the synth riffing. Unfortunately, the brash punkiness is both too simplistic and overly long, so you get 3-4 minute songs of somewhat standard punk and post-punk with 80s elements that never feel integrated with, or an improvement on, the song structures.

A good Casio-punk band, like the Epoxies, will elevate mediocre songs with such gimmickry. Here, the 80s shtick doesn’t really add much to the mix (with the exception of the 8-bit heavy “Shortest Fuse”). I’m not sure if it’s because the riffing and melodies themselves aren’t that interesting or because the Casio stuff isn’t being fully utilized, but the Sump Pumps are decent but don’t leave much of a mark.

Bottom Line:
Notable Tracks: Pon Farr, Underwater
Overall Rating: