A guitar/drums duo that fuses the precision of math rock with the heavy assault of metal and the articulate rage of punk, Pinkwash hail from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vocalist and guitarist Joey Doubek and drummer Ashley Arnwine crossed paths on the Washington, D.C. punk/indie scene in the 2000s, and they first played together in another two-piece group, Ingrid. (They were also members of the group Mass Movement of the Moth.) During Ingrid's later period, Doubek's mother was diagnosed with cancer, and he became her primary caregiver as she went through a long and painful battle with the disease. In 2008, Arnwine left Ingrid and moved to Philadelphia; she went on to play in the group Waxahatchee. A few years later, Doubek also moved to Philadelphia, in part because he wanted to make music with Arnwine again. The two set up a soundproofed practice space so they could practice as often as they wished, and in 2014 they formed Pinkwash. The band name came from "pinkwashing," a word describing the actions of large corporations who use breast cancer awareness in a cynical way to promote their products. Pinkwash made an immediate impact on the Philly and D.C. punk scenes, and released a five-song cassette EP, Your Cure Your Soil, in June 2014. The band doubled down on the social and political implications of their name with the single "Cancer Money" b/w "Skin," released in 2015. (The A-side included a sample of the sound of Doubek's mother's breathing machine.) As word about the group spread, Pinkwash struck a deal with the noted New York punk label Don Giovanni Records. Don Giovanni released Pinkwash's first full-length album, Collective Sigh, in May 2016. ~ Mark Deming