Shrines
A year and a half after Purity Ring surfaced with the song "Ungirthed", the young Edmonton, Alberta, duo has released a proper debut, a compulsively listenable collection of dubbed-out retro-futuristic indie pop. Shrines is not about range, offering instead subtly different versions of a single, near-perfect idea.
On the surface, Purity Ring is a sleek pop act with an ear for the weird. Corin Roddick’s off-kilter instrumentals—warm washes of synths, chopped and pitch-shifted vocal samples, and skittish, hyperactive beats—envelope Megan James’ wistful coo to create a set of remarkable, accessible tunes. Tracks like the jittery,…
The reflexive eye-rolling and collective sighing of "oh, can't we do better than this" that happens whenever someone raises…
Where Grimes' work is all about ambiguity – half-heard phrases, synths and vocals drenched in reverb and effects – fellow Canucks Purity Ring offer a vision of synth pop which is clear and polished as crystal. Corin Roddick's productions incorporate the sugar-sweet melodies and dynamics of R&B and pop, with a liberal use of side-chained beats and synths, evoking bands like Blackbird Blackbird, but also evolving the neo-synth sound into something absolutely unique.
Purity Ring frontwoman Megan James once revealed to Under the Radar, partially tongue-in-cheek, that her primary influences were "the five elements of nature."
The Canadian boy-girl duo’s debut is a whirl of delicate dream pop, fuelled by Corin Roddick’s chopped hip-hop beats and Megan James’ coquettish vocal stylings.
The Canadian duo's twitchy dream-pop invites comparisons with Björk and Fever Ray, writes <strong>Ally Carnwath</strong>
When Corin Roddick lays off the sequencer buttons, as he does on “Shuck,” the results are hypnotic, rhythmic, and effortless.
Montreal duo Purity Ring match synth-pop swirls with oddly catchy tunes, and deliver them with a joyous glee, writes <strong>Dave Simpson</strong>