PURITY RING at Sound Academy, Thursday, October 23. Rating: NNNN
Electronic music doesn’t always translate well into engaging live performances, and that’s a puzzle that Purity Ring aimed to tackle early in their career with their trademark custom glowing percussion pads that Corin Roddick plays, while vocalist Megan James prowls the front of the stage and engages with the audience. In small clubs, it’s a simple yet effective tactic that gives the audience exaggerated visual cues as to how the music is being put together onstage, plus it doubles as a unique mesmerizing lighting effect. As they’ve graduated to much larger venues, it turns out that it has even more impact on a big stage.
It helps that their sound has evolved alongside their growing popularity. Their mix of ethereal dream pop, electronic music, and hip-hop references has become more muscular and extroverted, and James has also become a more confident and engaging performer. It takes some skill to dabble with blaring trance anthem synths and booming trap drums while still maintaining a sensitive indie vibe, but they’ve figured out a way to walk that thin line successfully.
music@nowtoronto.com | @benjaminboles
