Album Review: Purity Ring - WOMB

At last, Purity Ring return after five long years with a new album. The Canadian electronic pop duo sound as wondrously dreamy as ever and their mission is to wrap listeners up in soft comforting layers of synthesised sound.

WOMB is all about finding a place of refuge from unrelenting 21st century chaos. The futuristic sparkle of Corin Roddick’s synths sound as though they have been inspired by recent interstellar adventures around the cosmos. The lead single Stardew builds from and insistent beat into a luscious dance pop bop. In the sweetest tones Megan James asks us to be comfortable in our skin and to celebrate and revel in the place we call home. It's a timely message for those of confronting self-isolation. The tune at once sunk deep in Purity Ring’s ethereal experimental approach also has the kind of crossover appeal one would expect from Katy Perry collaborators.

The duo work similar territory to Grimes but where the former espouses darker gothic moods, James is more like the Faerie Queene joyously sprinkling the mix with her optimistic vocals like glitter and confetti. As always, Purity Ring are introspective and speak in the language of impossibly delicate dreamy atmospheres. The sensuous lusciousness of the mix comes with intriguing hints of gothic gloom.