What is known about this band is very little; we know that Megan James, the vocalist and Corin Roddick used to be members of an electro pop outfit from NY... and that is kind of it for now. They have been described as very 'now', which, considering the surge of lo-fi electronic maestros, is a fair comment, and they certainly do seem to fit in with the current sounds that are being tossed around off the mainstream map. But Purity Ring boasts an extra something. This something is hard to pin point as all the elements that relate the musical stylings of this band to 'now' are there but it is the way in which they jostle together and crave your attention that creates something new. 

The use of jagged beats are clashed with warped, seemingly reversed synths and surprised by the clear vocals of Megan James, which are more apparent in the lead single 'Ungirthed', currently playing, and are just as welcome on 'Lofticries', which is in fact my preference out of the two. It captures a distorted sense of calm, which I can relate to musically but the lyrics are hard to delve into, discussing a sense of poised sexual tension but also with an inkling of smothered fragility:

'Bead-weighted chests with lofticries
Lofticries with trembling thighs
Weepy chests with weepy sighs
Weepy skin with trembling thighs

You must be hovering over yourself
watching us trip on each other's sides
Dear brother, collect all the liquids off of the floor
Use your oily fingers
Make a paste, let it form

Let it seep through your sockets and earholes
into your precious, fractured skull
Let it seep, let it keep you from us
Patiently heal you, patiently unreel you.'

I admit that the music isn't easy to delve into at first but those for who listen to Purity Ring and to the layering of elements within, they will be rewarded by a sound that is rather eveloping and has the right tone to calm whilst creating excitement. Here are the two songs mentioned... Enjoy.

For more from Purity Ring, click here.

And for more music on Swide.

Written by Ben Taylor