‘Pure At The Heart’ - Warmduscher Disco-dancing Dream To Be Played As The Lights Go Down

Ahead of their fifth studio album set to come out November 15th, Warmduscher released their third single entitled ‘Pure At The Heart’. The single moves away further from their post-punk beginnings and takes the disco-funk inspired sound from last album 'At The Hotspot' to another level. 

Its opening lines of “Right now the worlds a rocking horse and its our turn to ride/The sky’s just started spitting up in our bloodshot eyes” combined with lead singer Clams Baker Jr’s deep, powerful voice gives the lyrics an almost existential feeling. The story the song seems to follow is that despite any dread or unknowing, there is still a sweetness that balances the uneasiness of the song, or as Ben Romans Hopcroft says a “sparkly and fun” aspect. Sparkly encapsulates the song perfectly and as the track progresses you could imagine a disco-ball spinning and sparkly over the lyrics melancholy undertones. 

The accompanying video reflects these emotions with its dark, low lighting punctuated by bright spotlights showcasing the performers in the video. The video follows a woman dancing care-free and sporadically around the room with a group of men watching intently, until another man appears threatening the group and watches as they rush to leave the room in fear. But it is the transition from this slightly unnerving and voyeuristic scene to the underground party that makes the video so exciting to watch. The contrast of the two parties feels like the contrast of the song's atmosphere and its lyrics: one ready to dance and sing with the other having a more muted feeling.

It seems to question through its lyrics, what do you do when the party's over? What do you do when the song is finished? Is it back to riding the rocking horse of the world or realising that there are “No sob stories, sad songs, or big schemes tonight”? Despite this, the track keeps an upbeat and pleasant listening experience fuelled by the airy backing vocals, mellow guitar and little twinkles littered through the song. The piano chords act like a heartbeat for the song, keeping a constant until the song's inevitable end which fades out with an ominous pulsing sound. 

Janet Planet's dreamy, soft vocals repeating “Come a little closer to me” creates almost the impression of a lullaby, lulling the listener into a calm atmosphere. This dream-like state the song evokes, reinforces lead vocalist Calms' claim that the song is “A nod to being one of the few left on the floor when the lights come on and the club closes”. And as the lyrics suggest, “It’s just a little song and dance we do to keep us from saying goodnight”.

This single as well as previously released tracks ‘Staying Alive’ and ‘Fashion Week’ shows a lot of promise and excitement for the album release in November.

Isabel McDermott

Image: ‘Pure At The Heart’ Official Single Cover