Purity Ring (CA)

About

Purity Ring are a Canadian electronic duo from Edmonton, Alberta, made up of producer Corin Roddick and vocalist Megan James. Their sound sits at a strange and compelling crossroads: dream pop structures, witch house atmosphere, and hip hop influenced production, all layered under James's distinctively childlike vocals and lyrics she describes as coming from "books and books" of her own writing, often macabre and visceral. A signature trick in their toolkit is aggressive side chaining, where the rhythm of one instrument shapes the volume of another, giving their tracks that pulsing, pressurized feel. Their 2012 debut Shrines sold 90,000 copies in the US and got shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. The follow up Another Eternity arrived in 2015, this time recorded fully together in a studio rather than over email. Their third album Womb came out in 2020, and they have kept busy since, releasing the EP graves in 2022 and collaborating with Black Dresses on a track in 2023. They also co wrote and produced three songs on Katy Perry's album Witness. Live, Roddick plays a custom tree shaped instrument that controls both sound and lighting, while James designs and sews all the outfits herself.