Review: Sickpay’s EP ‘ Pureocracy’

By Ljubinko Zivkovic, Rock At Night The Netherlands

Review: Sickpay’s EP – Pureocracy-Released December 9, 2021

One genre that deserves its ‘post’ appendage is certainly post-punk. Currently, the genre is adding elements from all over the place, from grunge heaviness and vocal distortion to power pop melodic crunch.

Certainly going in both these direction is Brooklyn-based composer, producer and drummer/guitarist Mike Birnbaum, who goes under the moniker of Sickpay with his latest EP ‘Pureocracy.” Birnbaum is deeply rooted in the scene, playing with lesser known bands like 2 Ton Bug, but also those genre fans are a bit more familiar with, like Juiceboxxx and Wavves.

Like many punk musicians and fans, Sickpay’s roots in the scene are deep. When asked about his distinctly punk musical approach, Mike said “It has been a gradual descent into making my own punk music. I have been in rock bands since high school and for some reason my band history has gotten punkier with time.”

So what kind of punk is Sickpay bringing along on this EP? Well, you can actually call it sophisticated pop-punk, as Birnbaum shows that knowing how to really play your instrument well and coming up with more complex melodies actually helps the sound, rather than distracting from it.

It is actually punk for rock music fans in general, no doubt about it.

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Ljubinko Zivkovic

Ljubinko Zivkovic is a freelance writer/journalist from The Netherlands, who has previously worked as a journalist, diplomat and a translator. Music is his key writing interest.

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