Feels like the most minor letdown because it lacks the novel, inventive aura that Purity Ring once captured.

[xrr rating=3.75/5]Canadian electro-pop duo Purity Ring cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, appeared on several notable yeard-end lists and inspired numerous sonic imitators with its 2012 debut album, Shrines. In the wake of their commercial and critical success, vocalist Megan James and production wiz Corin Roddick arrived at a crossroads familiar to the select few artists …

In their own words, Purity Ring is “winning the battle against the Jonas Brothers.” With that quote, keyboardist/percussionist Corin Roddick obviously wasn’t comparing the Edmonton duo’s brand of dark indietronica with that of the purportedly virginal trio of teen poppers, but rather the Google search battle over the words “purity ring.” In fact, all signs are pointing to continued ascension …

[xrr rating=4.0/5]The far-reaching consequences of our instantaneous culture have had at least one unintended effect in music: new acts spend far less time gestating and more time releasing music. Montreal (by way of Alberta) dark-poppers Purity Ring, still fewer than two years old as an outfit, fits snugly into this category. Having garnered attention for the playful ebullience of a …