Out now via Bandcamp and vinyl on Merge, Cumgitsum marks the arrival of PLQ MRX, a grimy quintet of anonymous Philly degenerates whose psychedelic sludge-punk pulls from the chaos of Butthole Surfers, the weight of Flipper, and the interstellar funk of Funkadelic.
Dropped on April 25th, 2025, the debut EP rides on a wall of dissonant guitars, drunken howls, de-tuned trombone, and sample-laced fury across five tracks. It was engineered and mixed by the band with Joe Boldizar and mastered by Tim Green (Melvins, The Fucking Champs).
The lineup includes Cleetus Alreetus Alrightus on vocals, Midnight Moses on guitar and vocals, Lord Calvert on keys and samples, Bob Nohope on bass, and Vinnihana on drums. The five tracks—“The Drink Up Genie,” “Lead Poisoning,” “Elevator of Pain,” “Sugarsmack Jack,” and “Laugh to Death”—channel a theatrical brand of noise-punk that warps its genre roots into something altogether weirder and greasier.
PLQ MRX’s backstory loosely traces back to the defunct noise rock unit Plaque Marks, whose 2017 EP Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship drew acclaim for its “smashed-to-shit vocal distortion” and “medicine ball full of bacon fat” sound. Members of PLQ MRX are rumored to include one or two from that lineup, along with players connected to Swans, Unsane, Author & Punisher, Ecstatic Vision, and the Philly venue Kung Fu Necktie.
“Noise rock was the base when we started,” says 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.”
As festivals like Caterwaul and bands like Chat Pile push noise rock into more visible territory, PLQ MRX pivots sideways—into lysergic theatrics, clown aesthetics, and dive bar heat. Reviews from Decibel, Destroy//Exist, Invisible Oranges, New Noise, and It’s Psychedelic Baby have already positioned Cumgitsum as a disorienting but fully committed descent into acid-splattered scuzz.
To mark the release, we caught up with two members—Lord Calvert and Bob Nohope—for an annotated list of their 10 favorite Philly haunts. Like the band itself, the list is half unhinged, half precise.
In their words:
Top 10 Favorite Spots in Philly
by Lord Calvert and Bob Nohope of PLQ MRX
The Neon Clown Dream Lounge
Basically a PLQ MRX-themed lounge located in Fishtown has the best cocktails around. It’s more of a ’70s themed drug lounge rather than a clown lounge, that is my only critique. Would need more clowns to qualify as a clown-themed bar. Other than that this place is top notch and PLQ MRX frontman Cleetus owns it.
Granny’s Lodge
Located in the beautiful Harrowgate section of Philly is Granny’s Lodge. A place known for its weird orgies, wild parties, and clever knack for unleashing passions. The fires here burn bright and it’s a good spot to take a load off after a long day of performing in the freak shows.
Pete’s Clown House
A nice semi-clown-themed eatery that has some of the best pancakes in town at old Philly prices. It sports a top notch staff of young cuties and old pros. The Falcon Feast is a personal fave. Cleetus adds about 10 butters to his pancakes for maximum sludge.
Diamond Gas
This place has two-for-one big tanks (3.3L) of EZ whip. Nitrous can be an expensive habit but with prices like these we manage to stay high on the stuff for weeks. The Gas helps us focus and is known for its healing qualities. Everyone should suck back and breathe deep wit’ a coupla balloons courtesy of Diamond Gas.
Sweet Peel Vintage
Located near Fabric Row in South Philly. Look good, feel good. Yes, yes, y’all.
Murphs
Cash only. Booze. Pasta. I mean, come on. I usually get the lobster ravioli with 3 shots of tequila and 3 PBR’s. A good base for your night of drinking.
Pleasure Chest
They got the best bang for your buck when it comes to poppers. Rush. Super Rush. You name it, they got it. They even got the big bottles!
Lucky Donut
This was the place to go, before it fell into the street. The entire building. Sinkhole. Sucks ‘cause now I gotta pay actual money for breakfast.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken
Located at the Lukoil gas station at Delaware Ave and Spring Garden, this place really sops up all the drinks at the end of the night. Sometimes you can over hydrate on a night out wit’ da boys. This place can help battle that by turning you into a raisin in the morning.
Johnny’s Hots
Hot dog wiz wit is good. Gotta get the wiz wit! The economical choice for those looking for a slight taste of Philly.
Cumgitsum is streaming on Bandcamp and available on vinyl in the US via Reptilian Records, in the EU via Totem Cat Records, and in Canada via Fuzzed and Buzzed.
