This week we’re into the very melodic Pure Bathing Culture. Listening Party is a curated weekly column promoting music discovery and encouraging concert-going. Not only do we feature someone we’ve been jamming out to and whom we recommend to the masses, but each Listening Party artist has an upcoming show at a local NYC venue. Grab your headphones and read on.
WHO: Daniel Hindman, Sarah Versprille
THEY SAY: New Age/Slow Dance/Adult Contemporary/Spiritual
WE SAY: 80’s inspired Chorally-Driven Pop/Rock
FROM: Portland, OR
ONLINE: https://www.purebathingculture.com/
LABEL: Partisan Records
Recent Work: Debut LP Moon Tides came out Yesterday (8/20)
Pure Bathing Culture was born of folkster band Vetiver’s backup band. Daniel Hindman & Sarah Versprille’s new project bears little resemblance to anything either have done before. It’s just so 80’s- from the soft-rock feel to the progressive synths to the dramatic, reverb-soaked choruses that echo hollow. But we have no problem with that, because their record is equally nostalgic for the sounds of the past and serious in creating original senses of composition, meaning everything is just a little bit surreal-sounding. Taking a deeper look into the lyrics, you’ll stumble upon some hard-hitting sentiments (“Seven To One”) and some sensual descriptions (“Ever Greener”) that go beyond the jingles that Vetiver’s Andy Cabic produced. Best yet, despite its complexity and sometimes dark musings, the music is feel-good and fun to shimmer out of summer to. Catch the soulful duo performing next week Wednesday (8/28) at Glasslands Gallery!