After a slew of cancellations, Purity Ring are on their first tour since 2017. It helps that the North American tour coincides with their newest release, Graves, out tomorrow. Despite Megan James and Corin Roddick having three albums under their belts, this is the Edmonton electronic duo’s first EP—born so they could let go of a song they’d been sitting on for eight years.
Iteration after iteration of the EP’s eponymous track haunted the band for some time, but ironically the final version of “Graves” ended up closest to its inaugural form. “We made probably four or five completely different versions of the song,” says Roddick. “Some of them sound like completely different genres even.”
In songwriting, sometimes timing is everything. “We just weren’t ready for it yet,” James jokes.
Once “Graves” was finally finished, the rest of the EP was built around it, tossing every formula Purity Ring has ever used to release music out the door. “It’s good and bad when it comes to making music when it’s very self-serious and when it means a lot to you,” James continues. “But with this EP, it feels like because of the way we can approach it as an EP, it just feels like less strings attached.”
Being not as tied down lends itself to the band’s new sound. While Graves is still well within the veins of Purity Ring, it’s notably glitchier. Moving towards the crunchy sounds of the futuristic pop currently making waves, Graves pulls away from some of the more witchy elements that defined their first three albums—all while still holding onto their more atmospheric qualities. While it’s not a hyperpop release by any means, its clear nods to the genre are a much welcomed refresher.
“It’s good and bad when it comes to making music when it’s very self-serious and when it means a lot to you.”
Graves is also the band’s first release on The Fellowship, their own label. Funnily enough, they keep forgetting they’ve even started a label since it was born out of utility to release their music independently—an itch they’ve been meaning to scratch for years.
“At the moment, we’re not trying to scout other artists to sign or anything… We need to put our music out and to do so, you need to technically be a label. So we started a label, I guess,” Roddick laughs.
All of these moving parts have set Purity Ring up well to start anew. “Our first three albums is like a trilogy of albums that were on 4AD, and now that’s over,” says James. “And mentally, I feel like I’m in a new phase of the band, and it’s starting with this EP that feels very free.”
Coincidentally, Shrines, the first album of the band’s triad, turns ten in July. Following a stunning first impression with their first single “Ungirthed,” Purity Ring released their spectral yet grounded debut record. Blending the synthpop dominating the indie charts at the time with trip-hop and dubstep, critics raved about the record’s ethereal, imbued imagery. Paired with Roddick’s mystic production and James’ lofty, curious voice, Shrines launched the band into cult stardom.
“I think the magic of that album is that it sounds like two people with a good idea trying to figure out how to do something for the first time,” says Roddick, adding that the band’s been practicing Shrines-era songs for the tour. “It’s very rough around the edges, but it really has that freshness as well. It kind of sounds like we’re figuring it out in real time, and I think that’s the charm of it. Listening back to it now, I love it for that reason, but it’s almost also kind of sad, because I know that we’ll never be able to make something with that type of innocence again.”
James laments on revisiting Shrines around the time the band released Womb. “I was so surprised. I was like, ‘Everything sounds so different,’” she says, grateful for where the album has brought her. “Every day, I can’t believe that this is what we’re doing, and it’s just because of fucking ‘Ungirthed.’ Every day I can’t believe this, this is great.”
According to Roddick, Shrines’ story may not be over. “We may be digging in the vaults to see if there’s any interesting leftovers,” he hints.
While they’re assembling songs old and new for their upcoming tour, Purity Ring want to make one thing absolutely clear: They’re begging fans to mask up at their shows. Beyond there being immunocompromised people close to the band, James feels the onus shouldn’t be on artists to keep themselves and fans safe, especially now that most places in North America have lifted their mask mandates.
“It’s frustrating to now be at this point where we’ve canceled tour I think three times now, and be at a point where it’s still not safe, maybe less safe than ever, because no one’s wearing masks. But we have to do it. We haven’t worked in three years… We haven’t been able to do what we need to do to live, and you gotta tour because you need money.”
On top of the financial stress of not working, the cost of touring has risen. The band say they’re spending more money on playing shows than they ever have to make sure everyone has access to PPE. They’re doing this not only to avoid catching COVID, but also so they can continue to do what they love—playing music live.
For James, her desire to perform has been exacerbated by the five-year hiatus Purity Ring have taken from touring. “Every show I went to—before the pandemic and I stopped going to shows—I was so jealous of everyone on stage. I want to do it. I want to be on the stage again, because I love it. I miss it.”
