Purple-X Purple-X LP

I’ve had my eye on Oslo’s PURPLE-X since their excellent 2017 demo tape. This is their third release, a pretty short and diverse 12″. A minute-and-a-half intro sets a tone that’s both snappy and haunting. The three other songs on the A-side are jagged punk with cavernous reverb and other decidedly dark elements, but the aggressive drumming and abrasive vocal style steer this away from genre trappings. After a super chill interlude fades out and back in on the flipside they launch into a few faster thrashing tracks, which I have to admit is where I like PURPLE-X best. The vocal style unexpectedly reminds me of Blaine Cook of the FARTZ/ACCÜSED fame! The last song is sung in Norwegian and has a more classic feel, with a sing-along chorus and everything. The drumming throughout this whole record is particularly masterful, and the guitar tone sounds like it could be poised for both/either a dark post-punk band or surf! It all works and the track sequence was chosen for maximum impact. The layout is old-school collage style and has a cool three-panel fold-out lyric sheet.

• Reviewer Matt Badenhop
• Label Sheep Chase
• Issue MRR #452 • January 2021