Sounds like…

France’s answer to angry Brit-Pop.

The review

PURRS are very proud of being based in Angoulême, France yet I feel like they’ve been brought up on my English council estate. They bring the Brit-pop vocals to their indie post-punk sound. The result is a band that rocks like Idles but feels like they’re about to glass you in the face like Sex Pistols or an angry Pulp.

Across their new EP ‘Rhythm and Ethics’, they bring together some excellent riffs and rock moments. Clearly annoyed at life and society, PURRS makes sure their lyrics convey their laments on the never-ending cycle of daily life struggles. The closing track on the EP ‘Buzzing’ ends is a chaotic chant of ‘I don’t wanna be normal’. It is a defiant cry after spending the whole song slaying happiness culture that is everywhere in modern society. ‘Keep Swimming’ is my personal favourite on the EP. It is like a mental psyche-up rock anthem to just keep ongoing. I’m not sure if they are written that way on purpose but often lyrics feel like they could be flippant or actually quite positive. It is these moments where PURRS works best – and when they explode into their loud walls of guitar wails. These moments are fleeting per track and whilst always pleasant, not all the tracks connected with me after repeated listens.

As a second EP, PURRS has laid down their sound nicely. Two fingers to the big man, power chords and a mix of spoken punk singing and some big booming vocals showcase their range. I personally don’t connect with the spoken punk singing style so if you enjoy that, bump the score up a bit. I’ll be interested to see is this puts Angoulême on the map. Its a good start!

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