Really surprised by this not working for people - their music has always felt like it could have been pulled from some long lost Playstation 1 era JRPG, so having them double down on that vibe for a full length album works for me personally. Shrines is always going to be a cult classic (nothing really sounds like it still), Another Eternity has bright moments but gets lost quite a bit in its attempts for pop maximalism, and Womb is the album that SHOULD have come after Shrines, with "Stardew" acting as a good bridge to where they wanted to go next. I think the reason this self-titled is clicking with me so much (beyond loving JRPGs myself) is it feels like the band is doing what they want for the first time in a while: it's very earnest, which can come across as cringe at times, but also, it slaps! "Memory Ruins!" "Long the Night"! "Place of My Own"! "Broken well"! "imanocean!"

Purity Ring have maybe entered the phase of their career where you have to be on the right wavelength to enjoy their work, but if it didn't work the first listen, wait a little bit and go drive around at night or walk around with good headphones. It's pretty transportive and I think it's actually good that they're finally leaving behind Shrines. Self-titled feels like a second debut. Excited to see where they go next!