Pure X - Pleasure [Album Review]

Pleasure, the debut full-length from Pure X, comes almost two years after the local trio first turned heads with the "Easy" 7". Back then, Nate Grace, Jesse Jenkins and Austin Youngblood were known as Pure Ecstasy, but all the elements were in place that would, twenty months later, make their debut LP an addictively beautiful listening experience. "Easy" - a re-recorded version of which slots in as the fourth track on Pleasure - is distinguished by electric bursts of effect-laden guitar, an under rhythm of pounding bass and meticulous drums, and Grace's hazy, reverb-blanched vocals. The result is spacious, swirling dream pop that sounds like something emerging from the static at the end of your FM dial on a long, late-night drive.

Pure X's music relies on an entrancing build-and-release structure - the clouds of reverb and droning whorls of feedback tend to resolve in ways that are pleasing to the ear, or back to the tonic, if you're technically inclined. The band can be melodically insistent in much the same way as The Jesus and Mary Chain or Spacemen 3, crafting lo-fi, woozy pop songs that slowly emerge from the fog. Throughout the album, Pure X present as warm, direct and patient, with tunes that gradually seem to fill your head. There's a strong sense of space here, which is probably aided by the fact that the band recorded the album live, with basically no overdubs. It sounds like the music actually happened, in a room somewhere, probably late at night; like Pleasure is the result of a particularly fruitful practice session.

The first song released from the album, and probably Pure X's best song to date, is "Twisted Mirror", which demonstrates all of the aforementioned qualities. For about a minute, it's a free-flowing, after-party jam; then the song gently switches tempo and the first verse materializes, giving Grace a chance to show off his diaphanous falsetto. Throughout Pleasure, the vocals are utilized to great effect, slicing like beams of light through the sonic miasma.

Lyrically, the album deals with emotional exhaustion, that feeling of being down and out or stuck in life; or, as bassist Jenkins described it in an interview with Dummy Magazine, Pleasure is the sound of "40 degrees + raining + out of coffee + out of cash." "I've been feeling like this for so long," Grace croons on the aptly titled "Stuck Livin" - "something's gotta change, now."

Elsewhere, "Easy" maintains its fuzzed-out surf rock appeal, complete with a chorus of "ooh-ooh-ooooh"s, while "Voices" is a lovely, narcotized take on 70s pop rock. "Dry Ice" is a haunting slow-burner about love, that ever present muse, which ambles along at a groggy pace with swirling guitars growing heavier and heavier before exploding with a sound reminiscent of a lonely siren. The final two tracks are "Pleasure", a short instrumental that almost sounds like a late-90s Yo La Tengo cut, and "Half Here", which guides the album on a mellow comedown.

Pleasure drops today courtesy of Acéphale Records. We saw them play many of these songs at a Sunday night show at the Parish in April, opening for Real Estate. It was a perfect environment for the band: late night at the end of the weekend, cool weather outside, the stage swathed in machine-generated fog. Using their instruments like broad brushes, Pure X created a gorgeous atmosphere of sound, spacious, sparse and inviting. They've nicely captured that essence on Pleasure, which makes them one of Austin's best up and coming bands.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.