Website: Dirty On Purpose
The Inside Pulse:
Dirty On Purpose’s rollicking, spacey noise pop evokes a certain sadness. Trying to put your finger on exactly what type of sadness is difficult, but it recalls the sadness of knowing that summer is coming to a close, that you have to go home after the late night trip to the diner with your friends. This Williamsburg-based quartet sound little like any of their local contemporaries, and instead specialize in Yo La Tengo or Sonic Youth style buzzing rollers (“No Radio” and “Car No Driver”) and low-key ruminations (“Lake Effect” and “Always Looking”). With the aid of female Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Jaymay (who contributed vocals to a few tracks), Dirty On Purpose have crafted an elegant debut.
Positives: “Hallelujah Sirens” is an accomplished album with evocative lyrics and melodies. It is an engaging album with enough variation in tone to make for distinctive songs and melodies. I was also pleasantly surprised that the image on the promo copy sticker (with band members vacuuming and a cartoon bubble reading “This ain’t the album art, dudes”) was not, in any way, indicative of the album’s sound or mood.
Negatives: Dirty On Purpose, while crafting their own sound, still do not break any new ground, and do recall a certain trio from Hoboken.
Cross-breed: Yo La Tengo with less noisy Sonic Youth.
Reason To Buy: Fans of aforementioned bands would most certainly enjoy.
