Plastic Pinks

This January, Plastic Pinks will hit the 3-year mark, but on their latest EP El Animal, the Miami band sounds even more advanced than that. They’ve matured — rapidly. It’s a new era for co-founding half-brothers June Summer and Augie Pink. They’re quick to point that out, but they don’t need to. El Animal is all the explanation we need.

Opening with a rock ‘n’ roll ripper like “66 Sexta” does more than jolt the senses: It serves as a super-charged declaration of their newfound confidence. The intensity of the past few years — touring alongside AJ Dávila, tackling SXSW, opening for Thee Oh Sees and their three previous releases on imprints like Die Slaughterhaus and Burger Records — have elevated Plastic Pinks’ profile. Inevitably, they’re more assured in making bold choices now than ever.

They even went so far as to reach out to Gordon Raphael, a producer with high-profile credits like The Strokes and Regina Spektor, on Facebook. Pink told the Miami New Times that they engaged in a back-and-forth of liking and commenting after Raphael accepted his friend request, then Pink just went for it, asking him to collaborate on El Animal. He accepted, ultimately mixing the entire 6-song collection and signing up to help with the next full-length, too.

It’s clear Plastic Pinks were aiming for a big sound, the kind of multilayered rock ‘n’ roll meant to feel massive and rattle your bones. “My Frenzy State” is as hyper-kinetic as its name suggests, with a litany of embellishments that could made the track feel overwrought. But the sporadic shouts, the meandering bass line, echoing background keys and unruly solo riffage somehow work together in a way that feels grand, not grandiose.

“At World’s End” and the title track are each a bit extra: The former is a rattling psych-rock meditation on life, and the latter adopts a ballad pace as the EP’s comedown that, in the context of it all, feels like the encore of a packed, hugely affecting live show in a high-capacity venue. Listen at a loud enough volume to picture it — the real-life version is likely coming soon.
Plastic Pinks’ El Animal EP is out now on Ghost Drag Records. - Remezcla

June Summer and his half-brother Augie Pink formed Plastic Pinks after moving to Miami from Puerto Rico. Having played shows with Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, La Luz, Natural Child, the band released their debut album, Sunnyside Rabbits, which was produced by AJ Davilla and released via Burger. You can stream that below.
Plastic Pinks were sidelined from playing live when June had to undergo back surgery, but they kept writing and recording. Six of those songs, which were mixed by Gordon Raphael (who produced the first two Strokes albums), form the new El Animal EP which will be out November 4 via Ghost Drag. We’re got the premiere of the rauccous “My Frenzy State” which you can stream below.
Back in action, Plastic Pinks shows with Broncho in November. Dates are listed below.


Read More: garage rockers Plastic Pinks releasing new EP (listen to “My Frenzy State”), touring with Broncho | http://www.brooklynvegan.com/garage-rockers-plastic-pinks-releasing-new-ep-listen-to-my-frenzy-state-touring-with-broncho/?trackback=tsmclip - Brooklyn Vegan

Miami scuzz-rockers Plastic Pinks are set to release their new EP, El Animal, this Friday via Ghost Drag. Mixed by Gordon Raphael (the Strokes, Regina Spektor), the follow-up to last year's album Sunnyside Rabbits arose out of health complications. Just around the time the band was set to tour behind their debut, frontman June Summer suffered a back injury that forced the trek's cancellation, but also gave them time to work on new material — including "At World's End," premiering today, right here. Listen to the mucky garage cut below, accompanied by their upcoming tour dates.

Describing the new track to CLRVYNT — which, judging by the title, I speculate is inspired by an intense Pirates of the Caribbean binge-watching sesh — the band said, "'At World’s End' is about how we go through life seeking riches or whatever was embedded into our minds, and how we forget to actually live our lives to the fullest, when knowing that at the end of this journey we all suffer the same fate."

Platstic Pinks' El Animal EP is out November 4 via Ghost Drag - CLRVYNT

Burger Records definitivamente tiene un ojo FINO para descubrir bandas de entra la infinidad de propuestas garage que habitan en la escena norteamericana. Nacidos y criados en Puerto Rico, pero asentados desde hace ya varios años en Colorado, los hermanos June Summer & Augie Pink, volaron desde La Isla del Encanto para redescubrirse así mismos musicalmente, y formar la banda de garage que durante tantos años buscaron, pero simplemente no consiguieron.

Hoy en día hablar de este género suena fácil, “todos hace garage”, y aunque la frase sea recurrente y tenga un cierto aire de cierto, la realidad es que hace tres años pocos nombres figuraban dentro de esta escena y la música, poca atención tenía por parte de medios masivos y blogs alternativos.

Quizás de ahí el heroísmo de bandas como Davila 666, Los Explosivos de México y otros proyectos norteamericanos como Thee Oh Sees, King Tuff y Ty Segall, quienes cuando la escena era inexistente o simplemente muy apagada, ellos mantuvieron viva la llama que hoy, los consagra como grandes nombres e ídolos del género.

Sin embargo esas épocas quedaron atrás y ahora le toca a proyectos como Plastic Pinks llevar la batuta y abrirse paso de entre todo el vasto número de propuestas que tanto EEEUU como Latinoamérica presentan. Ofreciendo un contraste complicado entre la realidad de su historia, y la fantasía veraniega de su música, si este conjunto multinacional ha logrado establecerse y salir adelante, es gracias a los esfuerzos por conseguir “ese” sonido que tanto imaginaron, superando pérdidas, despedidas, depresiones y largas noches de drogas y botellas de alcohol.

Su historia NO es ninguna broma. Si existe alguna banda que de verdad deseara con toda su alma dedicarse a esto y aventarlo todo por la ventana, esa es Plastic Pinks, quienes en una charla para PLOP Radio nos compartieron: “Esta banda comenzó como un escape de situaciones que habíamos pasado mi hermano Augie Pink y yo (June Summer) donde llevábamos tratando de formar bandas pero tuvimos muchas cosas que ocurrieron y nos descarrilaban. Ya sea falta de dinero, la muerte de nuestro baterista, y el que nuestro guitarrista tuviera que volver a su país por eso de la visa.

En la frustración, creció un fuego en nosotros que llevó a mi hermano a decire: ‘Voy a aprender a tocar guitarra. Dame 8 meses y formaremos la banda de garage/rock que siempre haz querido hacer’, luego de eso pasan los meses, me saca aparte en un party en el que estábamos, toma la guitarra y me dice: ‘Escúchate esto’ y era el coro de “Sleepwalking Macadamia” y de ahí fuimos reclutando.

Esta es nuestra propuesta hacia la vida, estamos cansados de ser robots en este mundo y es el tiempo de sonreír y disfrutar de ella. Ahora tenemos un grupo q digo que es de súper estrellas por salir jaja, Luigi La Rocca nuestro lead guitar que es un demonio en ella, nuestro nuevo bajista Dane Giordano poniéndole fuerza detrás de las armonías y Nicholas Ochoa el que descontrola el corazón con sus baterías
Ahora después de muchos esfuerzos y tres años de crecimiento, Plastic Pinks cuenta con el apoyo de AJ Davila en la producción, quien indiscutiblemente deja su huella plantada en los tracks sobre los cuales ha trabajado, y que próximamente formarán parte de un álbum que verá la luz a través de Burger Records. El encuentro entre la banda y AJ parecía algo imposible, pero que sgún nos comparte la banda, se fue dando poco a poco: “Pues es gracioso porque el babysito y yo habiamos cruzado caminos varias veces pero en el momento, yo era un descojón, bebía y rondaba sin mucha dirección mientras vivía en Puerto Rico, siempre fui fan de Davila 666 y me la pasaba en los vicios de la noche y de show en show, pero conocía a Gianky que era su guitarrista.

Nos Mudamos de Puerto Rico mi hermano y yo, estuvimos por Colorado y caí en una mini depresión a la cual me quería sacudir porque tiendo a ser bien positivo. Nos mudamos para Miami y ahí vi a tocar a Davila 666 en Churchill’s Pub –que es la hostia del rock de acá jaja– y entre bebidas hablamos un poco y nos añadimos por face pero no hablábamos. La banda de nosotros comienza y les digo voy a ir a conocerlo, todos me miraron como si estuviera loco porque en realidad, no nos conocíamos.

Le comienzo a hablar, le envié la peor grabación en la historia (iphone voice memo) y el Baby me recibe con brazos abiertos. Él es una persona bien positiva y compartimos mientras el grababa con Dax Diaz su tema. Luego al regresar a Miami me dijo que le interesaría producir nuestro álbum, de ahí dos semanas más tarde todos viajamos allá y ocho díasdespués –junto con 16 botellas de Jack Daniels– salió nuestro álbum”.
Con un EP titulado Livin’ On The Coast, el cual fue liberado a través de Weiner Records, el momento ha llegado para que conozcan a esta gran banda. Vibras surf, bases de rock y un estruendoso sonido saturado de melódicos arreglos y vibras frescas. ¿Nuestra cosa favorita de ellos? Que suena a un garage bien ejecutado y elimina esa etiqueta de que el género se interpreta rápido y al aventón. Próximamente en agosto, la banda estrenará Sunnyside Rabbits, su siguiente entrega de estudio a través de Burger Records. Hay mucha pasión en ellos y sólo hace falta conocer un poco de su historia para notarlo: - Plop RadioFM

Party friendly Puerto Ricans Plastic Pinks rightfully caught the attention of the acclaimed Latino garage rock heavyweights who inspired them, Carrie Quartly explains why below!

Brothers June Summer and Augie Pink found kinship in the gritty garage punk/60s doo-wop crossover style and non-stop party ethos of fellow Puerto Rican bands Davila 666, Los Vigilantes, and Las Ardillas, forming Plastic Pinks in 2013. June Summer had already been writing lyrics, and a US move to the idyllic beach sprawl of Miami, FLA became the catalyst for the band really getting off the ground in earnest. The Plastic Pinks sound is a giddy fusion of the purest, most enticing elements of popular music, which sometimes makes pinning them into an easily definable category somewhat difficult. “We wanted the catchy melodies and high energy, snotty, kind of lo-fi all good fun rock and roll. You can hear us do an in-your-face type of song, then jump to a snotty garage pop song, and then just be laid back in another. We can’t really label ourselves so we go with ‘Rad City Sticky Pop’ as our thing when we don’t answer with ‘we make rock and roll’.” June Summer says.
The now solidly established Plastic Pinks lineup features June Summer on lead vocals, Augie Pink on rhythm guitar and vocals, Luigi Toni La Rocca on lead guitar, Charlie De Jesus on bass and Nicholas Ochoa on drums. The band impressed Davila 666 frontman AJ Davila so much with “the worst recording of a song ever” via iPhone voice memo that he offered to record and produce their album if they came to Puerto Rico. Summer recalls, “After 16 bottles of Jack Daniels in 8 days, our album was recorded. The vocals came out great, our songs evolved into a full sound and the direction given to us by AJ made us get in touch with our sound and gave us ideas on where to take it next. After recording we kept in touch and a true friendship grew from the whole process. After a while, I contacted a lot of promoters/bookers like Pure Honey and Strutter USA Productions (who got us to play in two festivals; one in Miami, Sweatstock 5, and The Atlanta Mess-Around). There were many others that helped book the venues like the people from Cheap Time and Golden Pelicans, and then just a lot of calling venues and getting it done.”

I personally witnessed the dynamic Plastic Pinks live spectacle across three dates on the AJ Davila y Terror Amor East Coast tour and was immediately struck by the Tequila-fueled tornado of primal energy unleashed at each show, no matter how sparsely attended the club they performed at. June Summer has a demented rhumba rhythm to his footwork onstage while singing, as if he’s balancing on an invisible board and riding the biggest wave ever… Luigi stumbles blindly in an uncontainable destructive frenzy during his shredderific guitar freakouts, and later gave me an inventory of all the equipment he’d inadvertently totalled as a result. In the tradition of Davila 666 and the other aforementioned bands, Plastic Pinks are raw and raucous and full of unchained power, yet also bursting with maddeningly memorable hooks and choruses perfect for the intoxicated camaraderie of group singalongs in a squalid, graffiti-etched late night dive bar. They’re like a delinquent version of The Beach Boys or The Shangri-Las; a visceral, sweat-soaked collision of drunken bodies hurling into one another one minute, and the next, all hypnotically swaying ‘oooh ahhh’ harmonies…and yet it all makes perfect sense somehow!

I also experienced the legendary hangouts and “exposure to all sins of the night” during their 3 night stand here in New York, as well as the warm tribal bonds that are often forged in the fires of great enthusiasm and dumb, pleasurable excess. My cup was never dry and my plate was never empty when I needed some post-drink nourishment, and I remember how amazing the dawn looked as it painted over the city in bright orange streaks and pink ribbons of cloud when I eventually went home (if I came home at all). This feeling of freedom and this reckless mastery of fun embodies the essence of Plastic Pinks and their music. You can get wild, lose control, and be released from all your inhibitions and self-conscious timidity without care because you will always be in good company and well looked after…

They currently have a hand-dubbed split cassette release with Las Tias released by Cheap Miami which is limited to 100 copies and available here (very few left!), but you can also stream the tracks via the Plastic Pinks Bandcamp or SoundCloud pages while awaiting their forthcoming EP and the full album. June Summer concludes, “Plastic Pinks will keep evolving and adding sounds to our arsenal. A lot of good things are planned. Hopefully we can get our album released by a label that can give the band the love it needs and release us to millions of ears. We like to get crazy but we are also hungry.” Spread la palabra! - Louder Than War

Miami may be a dance music mecca, but just under the city’s tanned hide lurks the gnarled hopeful smile of an emerging sound. Really, it’s just re-emerging, because there’s nothing more classic than good old, garage-era rock ’n’ roll.
“If you could put fun in music, I think that would be [the sound],” said Plastic Pinks singer June Summer. He and his band recently wrapped recording its latest album, Sunnyside Rabbits, to be released in a matter of days via the Cali-based garage-pop leaders Burger Records.

Plastic Pinks recorded the album in Puerto Rico under the guidance of AJ Davilla of Davilla 666, one of Summer’s greatest influences. It’s a huge moment for the band, and the dudes are going big to support it, heading out on their “biggest tour ever” and kicking it off with a special album release party Saturday, July 11, at Sidebar.

“It’s really amazing, because there is a Miami scene, and it’s growing,” Summer says. “There are so many good bands that are happening right now. It makes you feel good that you’re doing this, because you have bands that have already opened the way, it’s just a matter of going out there and taking it.”
That’s an important lesson, and one the fearsome fivesome learned by experience when putting together this album. Summer is from Puerto Rico, and returning to those old stomping grounds was a huge influence on the band's explosive sound.

“I’ve always been a big fan of the scene there,” he says. “I used to follow Davilla 666.”

As luck would have it, Summer met his would-be producer in passing a few times playing shows and just milling about the same circles. Going into the recording process, the band said fuck it and reached out with their tunes. They didn’t expect much, but Davilla ended up digging the sound so much, he invited them to the island and asked to produce the album.

“We saw this as a really big step and obviously a great opportunity,” Summer says. “He welcomed us with open arms, and after that, he became an honorary Plastic Pinks member. He truly accepted us and saw a potential in us. He invested his time in us which also was a boost for us. It just makes you want it even more.”
Recording was a blur. As Summer describes it, “in a period of eight days and 16 Jack Daniels bottles, we created the album.”

Apparently, when Summer found his voice was hoarse, Davilla suggested the whiskey as a means of lubrication.

“It actually worked out, and it turned out beautifully,” he laughs. “I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone. It’s really unhealthy, but it was fun.”

But Jack Daniels aside, the work is far from over. Sunnyside Rabbits will be released on the same label as legendary outfits the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Hunx and His Punx, but that’s still not all it takes to promote your sound. If a band really wants to make it, they have to dig into their denim, squeeze into a van, pray for shelter (wanna let them crash?), and hit the road.

So for three months, Plastic Pinks will fight off insanity watching little white lines flash by their window on the way up the northeast, into Canada, through the Midwest, into California and eventually Mexico. They’ll play a special live radio performance for KEXP in Seattle. They’ll lay down some Daytrotter sessions, and they’ll perform on stage with Davilla and other friends from their Burger and Lolipop Records crews. All this until they slowly snake their way back across the southern states and into the Florida grasslands, culminating in one helluva massive homecoming celebration in the main arena of this year’s III Points.

“I think we’re going to destroy that stage,” Summer laughs. “We’re really excited to come back here and play for our fans and for our city and obviously for something as big as III Points, you can’t go wrong.”

All the while, Plastic Pinks take very seriously the idea that the band is representing Miami and the whole Florida scene. Everywhere they go, they’ll be spreading the word that they’re only a small part of a worthy movement that’s warming up and only getting hotter.

“This is the time to do stuff, and it’s not because we are saying it. It’s because people are paying attention,” Summer says. “We just have to be sure to help the scene out, be there for shows, listen to the music. The music scene in Miami is so big right now, it’s jut growing and it just needs everyone to acknowledge it.”

Plastic Pinks Sunnyside Rabbits all over tour kickoff party. Saturday, July 11, at Sidebar, 337 SW 8 St., Miami. Grab the album at the show or via iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and more. Doors open at 9 p.m. Call 786-703-6973 or visit facebook.com. - Miami New Times

The evening kicked off with Miami natives, Plastic Pinks. The Plastic Pinks have been gaining momentum on the local live music circuit and it seems that everywhere we go, they show up. They say that half of success is just in showing up, but I can assure you, they are more than that. We arrived shortly after they took the stage, but found ourselves comforted by their sound. Things were starting to happen. - Rock Cousteau

They play a high-energy, funky blend of grungy garage rock and psych-pop. The songs are fun; the band members even more so. While, as I mentioned, St. Pete has a well-defined psychedelic garage rock scene, we don’t have a band like Plastic Pinks — a band who sells themselves not only through their sound and image, but also through their stage presence and ability to engage with an audience.

The band’s uniqueness lies in its presentation. Some local bands with a similar style try to create the appearance they just got off their ‘68 Airstream after supporting a Zeppelin tour. For the most part, I find the presentation inauthentic and it makes it hard for me get into their music. However, Plastic Pinks own their funky vintage image so confidently that I actually buy it. - The Burger

Plastic Pinks, a Miami quintet for whom he has recently produced the single “Yo La Vi,” a gritty Spanish-language nugget that’s as infectious as any release from the current wave of San Francisco garage psych that marches under Ty Segall’s banner - Nashville Scene

There’s little we love more than seeing locals do big things, and Miami’s newest charges of garage-rock dominance, Plastic Pinks, is starting to make some serious waves. The band has gone from a local favorite to bringing the Miami gospel abroad and putting out records on two of the top tier garage-rock labels currently pushing the movement forward. They’ve also inadvertently stacked the month of March with more rad gigs than you can shake a half-empty PBR can at! We caught up with guitarist and vocalist, Augie Pink, to get the lowdown on the band’s crazy March and its impending releases.

March sounds like it’s going to be a pretty intense month of the band...
Definitely one of the biggest if not the biggest month for us yet! Last year was really good to us and now things are starting to blossom. It seems as if we have unconsciously made March into our pedal-to-the-metal month. We’re gonna’ be playing with Burger/Lolipop Records band Corners on the 6th at Vintage Tap in Delray and the 7th at Churchill’s in Miami, then we play the 14th with Seattle’s La Luz, the Shivas, and Miami’s own Whorish Boorish. Then, we’re off to SXSW to play Wienermania on the 18th at Spiderhouse, turn around and drive right home to finish off the month with Black Lips at Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale. By far some of the craziest nights we’ve experienced are on their way!
Tell me about the 7” release you’ve got in the works. Where did you guys record it? Who’s putting it out? What other stuff do you have planned as far as recording goes?
Oh yeah! The 7”! We couldn’t be prouder of the 7” vinyl being put out by Die Slauterhaus Records from Atlanta. They’ve put out some great bands like Black Lips, Deerhunter, the Coathangers, Dinos Boys... they’ve proven to have a great ear and we are more than flattered to be a involved with such an amazing record label! We met Mark Naumann from the label last year on tour and things got rolling pretty quickly! Immediately after that, we contacted Gabe from the Gun Hoes -- who was already recording our EP -- and got things in motion to record and he recorded, mixed, and mastered it like a champ! The art for the 7” was done by Mimi Starr, who did a kick ass job as well! We also have an EP titled Livin’ On the Coast that is going to be released on Burger Record’s subsidiary label, Wiener Records, which is something we’re really looking forward to. We’re definitely where we want to be at the moment!
How did the relationship with Burger/Weiner come about?
After our tour with AJ Davila & Terror/Amor; they had worked with them on a release and we reached out to them with the hopes of releasing our album through their label as well. They’re sweethearts, seriously! You can tell they love this type of music and that passion has definitely gotten them where they are, which is why we want to be part of that particular movement. ~Von Bader - Pure Honey Magazine