“I try to connect on a human level while performing. Some artists I like put on more of a show, and I think about how I could incorporate some more showy elements, but I really just wanna connect, to have a human-to-human connection,” says PINKNOISE, aka Kacey Foxx, an LGBTQIA+ hard rock artist who manages to blend sonic elements of the pop music they love into the kinds of metalcore that would’ve been at home on Ozzfest in the early aughts. We’re chatting about PINKNOISE’s first-ever headlining shows, which will have them at MilkBoy on August 3rd, where they’ll be joined by melodic metalcore outfit (and our phriends) Deadlands, who will be opening the evening, and who Kacey says they’re really grateful to be on the road with: “Kasey [Karlsen] is a very young powerhouse female vocalist, and [Deadlands] are making waves… I’ve learned so much from them, even though they’re younger than me.”
PINKNOISE are touring their sophomore EP, FLESH AND BONE, which follows last year’s HUMAN=KIND EP and dropped this April, a few weeks into a run supporting pop punks Magnolia Park, a tour which Foxx tells me during our recent phone chat (following a trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which they tell me was “very cool,” citing the Michael Jackson exhibition as their personal highlight) provided a number of early highlights of their musical career, noting a few revolving around most recent single “RAIN,” a song about struggling with depression that Foxx considers their “anthem”: “A lot of people have told me, ‘When you started playing, I had no idea who you were until you started to play ‘Rain.’ That’s on my playlist!’ I was on tour with Magnolia Park, and one night I started playing ‘Rain,’ and at least 100 people, out of maybe the 400 people there, were singing it out loud, and I was not expecting that! A lot of people have told me that they really connect with that song.”
However, Foxx tells me their current run with Deadlands (which has also featured dates with Until I Wake headlining) has also provided some standout moments: “Going from writing music in my garage 10 years ago to playing these major stages and legendary venues, like The Rave in Milwaukee… it’s fulfilling my soul as a longtime musician and songwriter. I’m so grateful just to be there and feel the presence of all those people that’ve been there before me, and I can’t wait to come back and be headlining myself.” When I ask what can be expected of their headlining set at MilkBoy, Foxx explains that it should give fans a taste of all of the facets of the PINKNOISE sound: “This is gonna be my first time playing a 40-minute set… There’ll be some slower songs, some much heavier songs, and, at the end, even a snippet of a brand-new song.” Kacey also says that they hope these headlining shows at exceptionally intimate venues will provide fans with longtime memories: “The people that are there early and see you at the smaller venues will remember that as being something really special.”
While PINKNOISE is only about two years into their musical journey, with debut single “NEVER LOST” dropping in August of 2024, they’ve already done a few impressive collabs. “RAIN” features Corey Prokowiew of post-hardcore outfit Wind Walkers, while FLESH AND BONE’s second track, “SING WITH ME,” features R&B artist Zhavia. And the most recent single they appear on is “COLD BLOODED,” a song Kacey co-wrote with alternative rockers SAGE (“They’re just the greatest people. They’re so kind. I think they’re gonna go far,” says Foxx of the band, who were introduced to them by longtime producer Hiram Hernandez), which they asked PINKNOISE feature on: “They were like, ‘We can’t imagine doing this without you!’” I’m curious who would be on Kacey’s list of dream collaborators, and they tell me that there are definitely two who fit that bill. “I would love to do a song with Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, who has done so many cool things,” they tell me, noting his work with Demi Lovato, before adding, “And I’d definitely say Bring Me The Horizon, who are probably one of my favorite bands of all-time.”
The August 3rd headlining show at MilkBoy will actually be the last PINKNOISE date of the summer. But when I ask Foxx what the remainder of 2026 has in store for PINKNOISE, they tell me that there are a few more tours on the books, including fall dates supporting Fearless Records quartet and the “softest bois in metal core,” Archers, and rock/metal-inspired singer/songwriter Nate Vickers, respectively. However, they also tell me that they’re about to embark on the next major chapter of PINKNOISE and something that they’ve never done before, but something that they couldn’t be more excited about: “For the first time in my career, I’m in full-length album mode… I’ve got two weeks blocked out to just get music done, which I’ve never done before. I usually just do it whenever I get the time.”
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