Pure Bathing Culture - Pray For Rain (Album Review)
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Written by Huw Baines
Pop songs are often deceptively complex. Deconstructed into their constituent parts, some might litter each available surface in a workshop. ‘Moon Tides’, Pure Bathing Culture’s debut, was a collection built around that principle.
Atmospheric and melodically rich, it was home to great songs and layer upon layer of instrumentation. ‘Pray For Rain’ aims for the other end of the spectrum, with Daniel Hindman and Sarah Versprille sparring with producer John Congleton, who has pushed for a more straightforward, stark presentation of their work.
“A lot of the Pure Bathing Culture themes have to do with being brave enough to be your true self, which is sometimes the hardest thing,” Versprille recently told Claire Lobenfeld of Stereogum.
The idea certainly rings true here, with the best moments on ‘Pray For Rain’ relying not on studio obfuscation, but on the strength of their songwriting, where Versprille’s rich hooks and searching words are propped up by a series of infectious, undulating guitar lines.
Of course, Pure Bathing Culture’s idea of bare bones is a little different to your average garage band’s. Clover, for example, still clicks and whirrs beneath Hindman’s lick, while In The Night, In The Peaceful Night benefits from a sense of drama generated by the scope, and spacious presentation, of its interchanging elements.
On songs like The Tower, the duo’s existential response to the loss of flight MH370, and the title track, though, they get to the point sooner rather than later. Pray For Rain’s huge chorus - “Are you cut in two? Cut all the way through?” - is electrifying in its simplicity. The background synths that pop and flash remain just that, background textures.
That new-found directness is occasionally knocked off course by pacing issues - most notably the slow-burn Clover’s appearance just before the midway point - but suits this particular set of songs perfectly. It seems likely that the more complex trappings of dream pop have not been permanently jettisoned, but as the band have moved communication to the forefront lyrically, so too have they found a way for their music to make new connections.
Pure Bathing Culture Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon January 25 2016 - LEEDS Headrow House
Tue January 26 2016 - MANCHESTER Castle Hotel, Manchester
Wed January 27 2016 - LONDON Lexington
Thu January 28 2016 - BRISTOL Crofters Rights
Click here to compare & buy Pure Bathing Culture Tickets at Stereoboard.com.
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
.jpg)
![Ateez Announce North American Leg Of [TOWARDS THE LIGHT : WILL TO POWER] World Tour](http://cdn1.stereoboard.com/images/artistimages/50/tn_ateez.jpg)
