Los Angeles's visceral dance-punk trio PUREST FORM sign to Dais Records with RESISTANCE, coming September 4. Vocalist Story Beeson, guitarist/programmer Madi Woodward, and bassist Riley Oikawa-Dahlson draw on their respective backgrounds in hardcore bands, and their shared love of industrial and techno, splicing the intensely heavy with the playful and sensual. RESISTANCE is a potent, 6-track anarchist assault on the system, fueled by collective anger amidst late-stage capitalism and a year of nonstop trauma in LA, from the fires to ICE. "Resistance, less of an idea, more of an absolute action that has to be taken," asserts Beeson.
watch the music video for "ANIMAL"
PUREST FORM's chaotic performances are THE gig to catch in the LA underground. In a quick two years, word of Beeson's live fury spread rampantly earning them support slots with Boy Harsher, Chat Pile, King Woman, Sextile and more. Their acclaimed S/T EP hit hard with high acclaim from Stereogum, dublab, Consequence, Brooklyn Vegan, Revolver, Treble, and New Noise.
Pre-order RESISTANCE on Dais exclusive Neon Orange vinyl LP and CD, out September 4
Today PUREST FORM give us "ANIMAL", their live staple and hard-hitting EP opener. "ANIMAL" unleashes a primal impulse that is both ferocious and intimate - "White Zombie meets Underworld." Beeson herself directed the official video "ANIMAL." She states, "The video takes on the horror of surveillance. While using a lot of throwback technology, mostly to pay homage to its influence - Peter Christopherson's video for Ministry's 'Over The Shoulder', it very much intends to communicate how more modern technology is being used for violence against our communities and humanity as a whole. It fits with the concept of 'ANIMAL’: whether the nature is sexual or simply a desire to exist, we deserve to have freedom and we must take that freedom back."
RESISTANCE builds on the trio's previous work: more agile and charged, a cataclysmic set with structural jumps and hard left turns, confronting sonic and societal constructs. Serrated riffs meet fractured breakbeats, basslines, and body-quaking feedback, with nods to death metal and acid house in equal measure, all punctuated by Beeson's urgent, anthemic narration, often shouted to near-shreds. "We decided to just take it to the next level with this one,” says Woodward. "It's like a unification of all the music that we love and feel. And it makes sense to us. If it sounds good, we don’t care where it comes from." If they channeled Reznor's rawest era in their first dispatch, here the group adds a spiritual dash of Voodoo-U, or more directly, The Prodigy, whose iconic "Breathe" has been covered loyally in their live sets and is captured properly in this collection for posterity.
Regarding the mood, Woodward continues, "We set out to do something and say something. It did feel cathartic." Beeson adds, "The nature and actions of our country are overwhelming, I can't get away from the feeling of ‘what can we do to resist this at all costs?’ We have very radical fantasies across the board, making music that isn't talking about what’s happening right now just feels unimportant to us. We are willing to sacrifice whatever to make music that is honest. It’s both important and fun to have a project where it's just like a complete fuck you. And also a complete desire to unify."