Texas three piece Purple have released their latest album Bodacious, through PIAS. If you’re unfamiliar with their work, think noisey, frayed at the edges power-pop, with a heap of punk attitude and some wonky arty chord progressions thrown in for good measure. It’s this mixture of the quirky and the catchy and the sour that grabs (and pretty much keeps) your interest.
Album opener Backbone sets the scene, with the background funky yet slightly angular, and singer/drummer Hanna Brewer alternating between the sassy and the hard edged, as the band propels itself onward. Catchy yet anxious, supercharged yet occasionally stuttering, its a brilliant start. Follow on Mini Van takes things even further, with shades of early Beastie Boys, delivering what eventually settles into fine day-glo pop punk, with a smoochy smooth chorus.
AS with the albums constant searching for somwthing different so Bliss is this jerky, No Doubt-on speed affair, while Money has these slashy guitars which suddenly transform themselves into Chilli Peppers likes funky moves. In contrast, Medicated sits back, slower in speed and with its own inimitable swagger, before winding itself up, in just about every way.
Elsewhere, title track Bodacious ebbs and flows with manace always in the background, while Pretty Mouth is cod reggae, with a touch of the Vampire Weekends, but enjoyable nevertheless. Birthday, at least melodically, is one of the albums highlights, these edgy, razor sharp guitars spraying sound over the track, which bristles with intensity throughout.
As the record draws to a close, another of the album highlights shines brightly – She Know Me. Its got a Supergrass-ish vibe, full of fun and with a smile on its face, as its stutters and jumps around, and shows the band are able to handle melodies as well as write them, as this (and this will sound cheesy) rocks. The band then check out with the driving punk of album closer Feel the Low, and leave you to draw breath.
Its a fun, interesting, and memorable album and shows a band that aren’t afraid of anything delivering big on the swagger, the riffs, the melodies and the vibe and generally, its comes off. Its bright and cool and…….well, Bodacious.
