Pure Mood
Pure Mood widens the distance between Ringo Deathstarr's gentle singing and heavy guitars. The band play shoegaze with plenty of movement and a clear grunge edge. Melodies do not disappear as deeply as the full sound might suggest. The record works best when its different sides meet within a song, giving the volume changes a reason beyond simply playing louder.
Dream Again offers a quiet entrance. Light singing and layered guitars establish dreamy surroundings. Heavy Metal Suicide immediately breaks that calm with much heavier riffs. The transition is forceful, demonstrating how much power the band have. Their sound becomes harder without losing its melodic sense completely, so the contrast offers more than a change in scale.
Stare at the Sun uses that difference particularly well. The larger outburst in its chorus gives the song direction and makes the build worthwhile. Guilt places clear singing against rough guitars. The parts support each other, allowing the sound to remain accessible and forceful. Big Bopper likewise has enough individual character to stand out among the dense arrangements.
California Car Collection follows a more sombre, patient path. It builds tension without supplying the expected large release. Frisbee creates greater agitation instead, with busy drumming and vocal harmonies that keep moving through the noise. The band have several ways to make the same basic sound engaging, changing how its familiar elements interact rather than replacing them entirely.
The results are not equally focused throughout. Older shoegaze models remain clearly audible, and some stretches ask for more attention than they need. Transitions between the drifting and heavier sides can also feel abrupt. The strongest songs compensate generously. Pure Mood has good melodies, convincing dynamics and enough enjoyment in the interplay to become more than a tidy repetition of familiar sounds.
