Another Eternity
Megan James and Corin Roddick’s second album as Purity Ring refines the glitchy, R&B-influenced sound of their slick debut album, 2012’s Shrines. This suggests two things: that the band are sounding a bit less like Cocteau Twins, and they’re steeping out of the shadows to embrace a clearer, more upfront personality.
Despite Shrines’ unusual song names and darkly effusive musical setting, James’ impressionistic, body-obsessed lyrics clearly stood out. The more mainstream sound of Another Eternity should ideally expose these lyrics and their meanings further, but a little magic has been lost with this simpler, poppier sound, and there are times where the music and words sound at odds with each other.
Another Eternity’s 10 songs average at three-and-a-half minutes and run into each other like a mixtape. The bubblegum pop of the opening trio of songs obscures their darker nature; the duo is better served with looser, hip hop-influenced rhythms of late-album numbers, Flood On The Floor and Sea Castle. The less sugar that’s sprinkled on Roddick’s bold, buzzing beats, the more enjoyable Another Eternity becomes.
2 stars
CHRIS GIRDLER
