Purple - (409) Album Review

Purple are a three-piece outfit hailing from Beaumont, Texas - and should you ever need the telephone area code for the town, look no further than the album title. The trio are in the midst of playing across Europe, which includes a number of UK shows during November 2014.

If you were to label Purple into a genre, garage-rock is the overriding style that emanates from '(409)', while at times vocalist Taylor Busby is uncannily similar to The Hives' Howlin' Pelle Almqvist.  Nowhere is this more evident than on 'Head On The Floor', a riff-heavy ride topped off with a delightful guitar solo. Elements of bluegrass and punk can be found on 'Wallflower', where drumming-vocalist Hanna Brewer is a cross between Hayley Williams and Gwen Stefani, while the two combine well on 'Leche Loco'; a track that could easily have been penned by Jack White. For those with heavier preferences, 'Thirteen' is a frantic metal number, while at the other end of the spectrum 'Beach Buddy' is a groove-based track that captures a lazy day at the coast. Despite the palette of different sounds, the band never lose their raw energy and whilst it isn't the complete article, there's definitely promise here of an act who could be worth keeping track of. At times they're a little too exuberant - 'Target' for example' - but the overall impression remains positive.

3/5

Alex Lai