Purity Ring – Womb
(4AD)
Reviewed by Bridget Herlihy.
It has been five years since Canadian electro-witch-pop two-piece Purity Ring dropped their last album ‘another eternity’ to critical acclaim. On ‘Womb’, their third album, vocalist Megan James and multi-instrumentalist and producer Colin Roddick deliver another batch of ethereal synth-heavy tracks that will undoubtedly be sonically pleasing for fans both old and new.
Opening with the album’s first single, the sweet and meandering ‘Rubyinsides’, Womb takes the listener on a conceptual musical and lyrical journey of the awakening of an adolescent woman, as she navigates a newfound sense of identity and self, and manouevers herself through the complexities of life and love. Underscoring this is a focus upon the human body, a theme that has been carefully woven through each of the band’s three albums through one lens or another. Here, blood, bones and the frailty, and strength, of the human form becomes a lyrical backdrop against which the story of the ‘becoming’ of the aforementioned young woman unfolds.
James’ dreamy and melodic vocals often sit in juxtaposition against her sombre, dark and melancholic lyrics, which is undeniably one of the more interesting facets of Purity Ring’s cannon of work. Highlights of the album include the slightly lyrically macabre ‘I Like The Devil’, ‘Femia’ and ‘Sinew’ and ‘Silkspun’.
In some ways the synth-pop tendencies of Purity Ring are not too far removed from radio-friendly tracks from the likes of Ellie Goulding and Katy Perry. However, ‘Womb’, and the band’s previous two albums for that matter, possess a far greater depth, both sonically and lyrically, that will hopefully prevent them from falling into the abyss of forgettable pop songs.
This is an album that should ideally be listened to from beginning to end; one song purposefully connects with another as part of the larger narrative. Each track is an integral part of the bigger picture; and what an intriguing and beguiling ‘picture’ it is.
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