Purple – ‘Bodacious’

Purple are cool. Seriously cool. Single-handedly driving the Texas lo-fi scene and seeing praise from all corners of the globe, the release of their second album, ‘Bodacious’, is a big moment for more than the punk rock trio.

After the heavily surf-rock influenced ‘(409)’, ‘Bodacious’ sees a small shift in Purple’s approach to songwriting. Much to fans liking, the sassy, tongue-in-cheek moments in songs like ‘Leche Loco’ and ‘Thirteen’ have found a comfy spot in the slightly more sparkly and clean sound of ‘Bodacious’.

From album opener ‘Backbone’ to the conclusion of ‘Feel The Low’, there’re a few notable changes including the influence of more mature sounds. The vocal approach in songs like ‘Backbone’ feels similar to that of Tricot, and the dreamy surprise of ‘Bliss’ somehow blends perfectly between the childish ‘Mini Van’ and the much more adult ‘Money’.

Vocally the album relies heavily on drummer and vocalist Hannah Brewer, who’s approach ranges from the dialogue style in ‘Mini Van’ to the behemoth shrieks of ‘Be Empty’. What this brings to the album is the garage rock we only got a taste of in their previous release. This new release is by no means a huge progression for the band, rather a deepening of their roots, digging into their inspirations and forming a sound that can’t be described by mentioning a couple of similar bands. The album refrains from a lot of formalities. These guys are high octane, humorous and cool as shit and they don’t pretend to be anything else.

Something special about Purple’s sound has always been Hannah Brewer’s approach to womanhood. The slightly promiscuous lyricism partnered with her modern views on gender became a centre point of the band’s appeal after the release of their debut. This is recurring in recent single ‘Pretty Mouth’ where lines like “You don’t see women like me as a contribution to society / And I don’t see men like you as societies glue” offer exciting approaches to songwriting, paving the way for a number of bands to celebrate modern girl power.

There’s so much to say about the record, but nothing will speak better than the songs themselves. It’s half an hour of contagious anthems that’ll leave you musically inspired as much as party-ready.

MAX GAYLER