Review: Purity Ring | Another Eternity
Purity Ring![Another Eternity -Headstuff.org]()
Another Eternity
[4AD]
Often the success of a first album tends to place a little cloud of doubt or elements of recreation over the release of a second, but thankfully I won’t have to complain about that much here. Fans of Purity Ring’s explosive debut album Shrines will delight in the information that this follow up is a little bit closer to the future pop aesthetic which they aspire to. Another Eternity furthers Megan James’ masterful use of language and metaphor, while producer Corin Roddick falls into a cool stride of effortless rhythm play and experimental production techniques.
While there is a sense that the duo is sticking to what they know (quite rightly, as there was no sound like Shrines in 2012), their musical palette is furthered and fine-tuned until we get the impression that this record is exactly what they wanted to release. This growth might be the result of three years performing, writing, and recording together. It may also be the interaction between James and Roddick in the same physical space, a production element which Shrines lacked as both members recorded and produced their individual parts without ever being in the same room. But now, with a bit of practice, and a bit of interaction, the band have codified their sound and placed their own stamp of approval upon what they knew they were right about all along – the future of ‘future pop’.
Another Eternity begins with ‘heartsigh’ which, at first glance, would appear to be much of the same. The track could be lifted off Shrines, but undoubtedly it would have been one of the better tracks. It is a welcome nod to fans, promising some deviation but not so much that you won’t recognise what makes Purity Ring unique. It’s all there; the bubble gum sweetness of James’ vocals, the piled-up contrapuntal electro rhythm, the catchy poetic lyrical dimension… so what is different? What makes this a track that belongs firmly on a second album? Vocal dynamics is the name of the game here, which helps to deviate from the (sometimes) overly sugared aesthetic of previous material. James’ vocals are controlled, exploring her full range and honing in on her unique timbre. There is a maturity to be found in her sometimes retrained performance; not putting it all out there, keeping us guessing about what is to come.
And what is to come is fantastic. Each track is masterfully produced by Roddick who, given his age, shows tremendous understanding of the dynamic explorations available to those who dabble in electronic music. His presence on the record is especially felt on ‘bodyache’, in which more experimental electronic timbres are explored. The marriage of gentle ascending scales with belted-out vocals reflects that gorgeous dynamic that I keep going on about. There is little difference in the role of melodic and rhythmic structures – both seem to melt together until one is indistinguishable from the other. The rhythm is the melody, and the melody is catchy as hell. It expresses the duo’s belief in the capacity for experimentation in rhythmic instrumentation, and that you don’t need any more than a firm knowledge of metre and rhythm to make a damn good pop song.
It’s almost impossible to pick a stand out track of the album, so let’s cheat and choose two. ‘Begin again’ is a gorgeously mellow ode to more minimal electronica, with tonnes and tonnes of heart. The bridge’s hook was made for festivals and live shows, as it builds in intensity until eventually exploding into an electro pop instrumental chorus of pulsing bass lines and layers of percussion. The lyrics demonstrate James’ expert use of metaphor in a context where they are also required to be memorable. The other knock-out track on the record is ‘repetition’, a much sultrier venture into pop with gentle vocals which tend to stay at the lower end of her range. It is definitely a nod to the growing popularity of minimal electronica, for which we can thank artists like FKA Twigs, with pointed breaks and silences adding to a disjointed but beautiful musical experience.
It’s obvious that Another Eternity is a much more personal work, with meticulous rhythmic and melodic choices and almost bare expressionistic lyrical content. It may be maturity, it may be growing confidence, it may be close working quarters, but Purity Ring have arrived at that ‘future pop’ sound first laid out by Shrines. Expect this record to influence pop music to come in 2015 and beyond; future pop is here at last!
