PURE X
Feature: 9.4
Music
Pure X (formerly Pure Ecstasy) are a rock trio from Austin, TX, made up of Nate Grace, Jesse Jenkins, and Austin Youngblood. Elements of their music will probably sound familiar to you: they record at a basement-level fidelity that swathes all of their songs in that bleary, cavernous haze so characteristic of underground rock music circa now, and their combination of placidly reverbed guitar tones and grungy feedback hits all the dreamy, magic-hour signifiers common to indie music’s current obsession with beach-bound escapism. What’s special about Pure X, though, is that their immersion in texture, mood, and atmospherics is only the still surface of a much deeper body of water. Rather than an emblem of casual slackerdom or simple economy of means, their choice to record live with no overdubs reflects a commitment to capturing the intensity of life lived in the moment. Songs like “Twisted Mirror” burn hot because they burn so slowly, with Jesse Jenkins’ syrupy bass hits setting the pace. Each stretched-out note swells until it aches before eventually arching around to the guitar blowout. Not that these guys care about shredding: there’s a few solos here, but the focus is on feeling out every movement in unison, not about individual chops.
