The Serfs – “Paid In Full” & “Regen”

The Serfs are a Cincinnati combo whose “deliberately nebulous” lineup overlaps somewhat with the Drin. Their 2023 album Half Eaten By Dogs was awesome, and so is the new single they dropped last month, which just hit Bandcamp today.

Whereas I called last year’s LP a “synth-punk throwdown,” but that description doesn’t really apply to either of the new tracks out today. A-side “Paid In Full” is slick, ’80s-damaged electronic pop. It reminds me of the moment when new wave, hip-hop, and clubby electronic music were colliding — a bit like “West End Girls” without the melodrama or a fleet-footed cousin to “Get Innocuous.” B-side “Regen” brings in the guitars and applies the drum machines to more of a blearily melodic garage-psych song. It’s also well worth hearing — you should definitely stick around for that sweet, sweet sax action at the end.

Listen to both tracks below.