There is a certain psychedelic thread running throughout The Purrs sound, surrounded by layers of post-punk, ’90s Britpop, humid surf-rock, and other strands of outsider elements bleeding in from the fringes. After over a decade of consistently strong work, the band now find themselves perched on a perilous edge with little left to prove.

The Purrs don’t want you to know exactly how long they’ve been around. Let’s just say that the core members, Jima (bass, lead vocals) and Jason (guitar) have been creating music together in Seattle under this moniker long enough to legally order a whiskey straight up from any bar in Canada. Liz (guitar, vocals) signed on nearly a decade ago, and Dusty Haze (drums) has been in the ranks about 3 years. The band has recorded five full length albums, a couple EPs, and released several singles under numerous independent labels. Their latest full length, _Destroy the Sun_(produced by Johnny Sangster), may just be their strongest work yet.

The opening title track succinctly captures what The Purrs do best: mixing slash-and-burn guitars with haunting melodies and an awestruck sense of wonder. “In An Unknown Field” is a surprising stew of early U2 and Suede, while “Here For So Long” plays like a long-lost Rolling Stones ballad. “A Lifetime Of Wrong Turns” chugs along with an undercurrent of upbeat self-deprecation, and “What Ever Happened To Billy Boy” closes the album with a wistful ode to a lost friendship. With Destroy the Sun, the Purrs offer a compelling reminder that they really ought to be on any discerning music fan’s radar.

The Big Takeover is pleased to premiere the video for “Here For So Long”. Retro-pop, psych-rock, and rock ‘n’ roll all blend into a catchy tune that displays its lyrics up front and center. It’s a classic rock/pop track on the reflective end of the spectrum, with a rueful Jima intoning, “Just hang on for better days.” But as you can see from the song’s title, better days aren’t quite in sight yet… In the video, vivid to spacey designs and colors roam over footage of the band performing and sitting on the couch, waiting on those better days to come.

Jima goes into some details about the song, explaining, ““Here For So Long” had been in the Purrs live set for years before this album. It was one of the first songs I brought to the band back in the early 2000s. We would always give it to prospective rhythm guitar players who were trying out for the band. It is a good test for rhythm guitar players. The song is totally dependent upon on chord technique and dynamics. I took inspiration from my own feelings of displacement due to employment and relationship issues combined with “Here Comes A Regular” from The Replacements. At least that was the emotional state I was shooting for originally when I wrote it. I think we tried at least two previous times to get a recording that captured the essence of the song properly. Third time’s a charm…”

Dusty Haze directed and produced the video and he comments, “[I] play drums in The Purrs, but also operate a freelance graphic design and animation studio, Bongo Dog Designs. Video editing and production are among the many media services I offers. “Here For So Long” is the first music video I’ve produced for The Purrs. Jim had a bare-bones idea that invoked imagery from a scene in the film _A Clockwork Orange. But mostly, the video centers around ad-libbed shots of the band engaging in our usual vodka-infused shenanigans.”_

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram