This is Zex. This is their publicity.

A bizarre rift between Oceanside-based Magic Bullet Records and one of its bands, a Canadian four-piece punk band named Zex, makes one wonder if there was a real label-versus-band issue or if the beef was just a scam swallowed by a September 19 article in the respected Pitchfork online zine.

Pitchfork, which bills itself as “The most trusted voice in music,” told about how Ottawa-based Zex (which has played the Tower Bar and the defunct Metaphor Café in Escondido) was booted from the label after allegations of “sexual assaults” against a band member.

The confusing article by Pitchfork writer Evan Minsker brought up allegations that Zex lead singer Jo Capitalcide was blamed for “breaking a girl’s pelvis,” but then the same article said the transgression did not actually happen.

Attempts to get a comment from Magic Bullet principal Brent Eyestone and from the band Zex were not successful.

Ken Stocks, owner of Spin Records in Carlsbad, said he had never heard of Magic Bullet and does not carry any of their product.

A website perusal of Magic Bullet showed that it maintains a roster of 20 artists, the most prominent being All American Rejects, an Oklahoma band that had a 2003 alterna-pop hit called “Swing, Swing,” and an experimental Texas band named This Will Destroy You.

Other Magic Bullet artists include Dallas Hardcore metal band Powertrip, instrumental East Coast hardcore quartet NY in 64, and thrashy punkers Iron Reagan.

What may make the sexual assault story seem more questionable was that just two weeks earlier Zex was the focus of yet another unusual news blurb. Pitchfork and others reported that the first side of Zex’s 2017 album Uphill Battle appears on some copies of Beyoncé’s four-side LP due to an error at Sony Records’ German pressing plant.

One rocker who did not want to be identified but who has played with Zex said the Zex/sex story was a complete joke.

“This is what bands do who have a difficult time selling 200 copies. [Magic Bullet] lost money on the two last records it released by Zex. This is an easy way for a label to dump a band that they are losing money on.”

But why would Pitchfork report it as fact?

“To get clicks,” says the insider. “If you say ‘sex allegations’ you’re going to get clicks.... If this band was actually making money for them, they would have said, ‘Let’s sit down and talk about this.’”

Attempts to get a response from Pitchfork writer Evan Minsker were not successful.