Puressence
Puressence

THE REVIEW

Puressence were never giants in the seas of Britpop, and their wreck is now left to the decay of an abandoned dock, just as it appears on the cover of their self-titled debut album. They are remembered by those, like me, who in that movement always sought more the creative flair typical of bands like Suede or Manic Street Preachers, and the bitter and decadent aftertaste of those sounds.

There is a point in time where what has been experienced becomes what is remembered. Memory can change the shape of a room or the color of a dress. Memories can distort the course of events; they are our interpretation, a mystification of reality. Yet, even listening to it today, this album reveals itself to my ears as a small gem, set in that context. Nothing spectacular, mind you, just that right blend of fitting melodies and a sound that knew how to stand out.

I believe time was also the key to their failure. They arrived late to ride that wave and, despite having the backing of a major label like Island, they probably failed to garner attention and favor from the press of the time, which was already saturated with “next big things.” As fascinating as a snowflake you try to grasp, but by the time you open your hand, it’s already gone.

Puressence is an album that thrives on contrasts. A clash with no winners or losers between the emotional fragility of the vocals and the restless tension of the sounds. A formula that the group carried forward in their subsequent works, but which never highlighted its genuineness like in this debut, thanks to many small imperfections. A still raw sound overshadowed by James Mudriczki's troubled falsetto, bringing bursts of melancholy between electric roars and showers of guitar feedback. With its androgynous vibrato, the voice climbs around elusive chords, almost wanting to evade the underlying melody, and often chasing the most improbable harmonizations. The instruments instead play at restraining the impetus, like heavy clouds filled with rain, ready to unleash their assaults at the right moments. "I Suppose" was the single chosen to promote the album, an engaging track that seems to perfectly merge the two faces of the band, halfway between early eighties U2 and early Radiohead. What was supposed to be the forerunner to a successful career, however, failed in its endeavor, as did the darker, more oriental "India.” The workings of the music business have always been beyond my understanding, and perhaps this last word is the key to it all. "Understanding" is indeed the title of the beautiful ballad of the album, the potential “sliding door,” the song that could have reversed Puressence's fortunes. And unfortunately, it was never chosen as a single. But here we enter a subject I gladly leave to Aristotle. I prefer the memories of who I was and the fragments of life that brought me to where I am today to future conditionals. Watching the world stand still from the window, lost in the sound of rain and my thoughts beaded like drops on the glass.