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It's been a couple of years since we last heard from Seattle's The Purrs. Well, in the meantime, they have had a bit of a lineup change. Specifically, Liz Herrin has been brought in on guitar and backing vocals. The presence of a female voice backing up mainman Jima is something new and, i think, welcome. This single is the introduction to the new lineup, which will have an album out in the summer.
They actually sent me a physical 7", which was a really nice gesture. It's a nice artifact: clear vinyl in a limited, hand-numbered edition (i have number 48 out of 500, for the record). My only complain, Fin Records, is that the correct playing speed is not listed anywhere. That is my pet peeve, though, and it is easy enough to figure it out.
The A-Side, Rotting on the Vine seems a little more retro than much of their catalog. Something in the guitars reminds me of The Who, while the drumming is uncharacteristically busy. New girl Herrin is only barely heard in the background, her voice not that prevalent. Still, it moves at a good pace and the guitars are blistering.
The B-side is my preferred of the two tracks here. You, the Medicine and Me (damn them for forgetting the Oxford comma in the title!) is like a Purrs tune from any of their albums, only with female backing vocals added in. This could have been on The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of except for Herrin’s presence. The guitars are moody and distorted and the rhythm insistent. Jima's voice is the usual scowling drawl that he sings with, but Herrin's voice is a little high-pitched response to Jima's call, which is a really nice effect. The whole song grinds along wonderfully, with a breakdown at the end where everything kicks up a notch and the band just rock out. This is also, i guess, the title track to their upcoming album, The Boy With Astronaut Eyes, which is a line in this song.
Overall, as someone who has enjoyed their work to date, this is a welcome addition to The Purrs catalog. I don't think that anyone who is not into shoegazery, vaguely Britpoppy rock will find much to like here. Their loss.
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