Purity Ring have been with me since the beginning of my transition from casual music listener to full-on music obsessive. I was first turned on to them by a friend’s recommendation back in 2013. My primary method of music discovery back then was Youtube, so I began by searching for their songs on the platform. I came across a video with the audio of “Ungirthed” set to a black and white image of a nameless sad looking conventionally attractive white woman, a fairly generic aesthetic for many music channels of that era. But the disorientating trap instrumentation and Megan James’ childlike voice had me hooked instantly and they became the first band I really really fanboyed over.
I became a fan at the right time because just as soon as I was starting to wear out Shrines, they started releasing singles for the 2015 follow-up Another Eternity. Aside from the “Asido” single in 2017, we heard nearly nothing from the band in the last five years, calling some to question if the duo would ever make a return. But that all changed when the band posted a link in the Purity Ring subreddit to a cryptic website where clicking around would eventually lead to the preview of a new song called “pink lightning”. I spent about 30 minutes trying to unlock the audio but was unsuccessful and decided I would wait until its widespread release to listen. Then on February 18th, the band shared a new single, “stardew”, and announced their third album, Womb, would be arriving April 3rd. Needless to say, I was pretty darn excited.
“stardew” recalls the glossier electropop sounds of Another Eternity, opening with a twinkly piano riff before Megan’s vocals ride through on a soaring synth melody. It has a very cinematic feel to it, and with it’s position as the last song on the album, the track could play out as the end credits to a triumphant and theatrical return. When I hear the closing vocal refrain, “I know it seems far but just be where you are”, I imagine it as a message to longtime fans like me to stay patient until the album arrives. If the group’s track record is any indication, I’m sure the wait will be worth it.
Listen to “stardew” below and pre-order the album here.