Talent can be found anywhere at Tupelo High School. It’s just a matter of whether or not you’re willing to look for it.

What started as just two friends making songs for fun on their computer has become a three-piece punk/alternative rock band.

Matthew Pugh, the lead guitarist and vocalist for Slush Fund, has been playing for eight years. Watching his dad perform with numerous bands inspired his interest in playing guitar. Originally Sam Smith also played the guitar, but he switched to bass. Last but not least, Hayden Raymer started drumming after finding inspiration in Avenge Sevenfold. Slush Fund was met with great responses after their first show in Starkville on July 17.

“The feeling you get from playing live gives me such a rush,” Pugh said. “It’s a natural high.”  

Forming a band was easy, but thinking of a band name was easier for the THS seniors.

“Who doesn’t agree that slushies from Sonic aren’t good?” said Pugh, who joins his bandmates every Friday after school for the frozen drink.

“It’s actually kind of a cool name, because it also is a term for money set aside by the government to use for things,” Smith said.

The band’s music is a little more difficult to describe. It’s like “a punch to the face that doesn’t hurt, like ‘I needed that wake up punch,’” Pugh said, to which Smith added, “It’s like getting punched by a hot girl and you won’t be mad because she touched you.”

Slush Fund has been working almost every day in Raymer’s garage to produce new music on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify. They plan to go to the studio at the end of November.

Pugh said he and Smith both write the lyrics and they all get together and work on the music and it just evolves from there. Most of their music is influenced by Green Day, Blink 182, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes and The Ramones.

Pugh said all of Slush Fund’s songs are about “fictitious females and struggles from being a teenager.”

The song “Human Fedora” is a social commentary about the hipster lifestyle. One of the band’s most recent songs, “Demur,” is Nirvana influenced.

“It’s about wanting to leave your hometown and causing trouble,” Pugh said. “We don’t condone illegal things. We’re just speaking what everyone on the inside is thinking.”

To check out the local trio, their song “Green” can be found on Spotify. “Green” has a very raw, garage band feel to it.

“Slush fund is a lovely burst of energy,” senior Ben Policicchio said.

Fans can connect with Slush Fund on Twitter (@slushfundband) or on Instagram (slushfundband). Pugh said there are currently two styles of T-shirts available that can be bought from any of the band members or through social media.

“New T-shirts will be coming in in about two weeks,” he said.