Another Eternity
by Purity Ring
  • Record Label: 4AD
  • Release Date: Mar 3, 2015
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
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  1. Mojo
    Mar 19, 2015
    60
    This brittle, torrid world has little light and shade. [Apr 2015, p.89]
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  2. Spin
    Mar 4, 2015
    60
    The weight of Tucker and Roddick's reverb-drenched, synth-stuffed production is such that it's hard for their songs to consistently achieve the kind of liftoff that the pair desires.
  3. Complex
    Mar 4, 2015
    60
    A relatively conservative follow-up to a debut album that, three years ago, had many fans and critics re-imagining pop music as inexhaustibly brave and new.
  5. DIY Magazine
    Feb 27, 2015
    60
    After a debut that spent much of its time slinking like crawlers out in the shadows, it’s intriguing--if slightly disconcerting--to see Purity Ring in a warmer light.
  6. The Line of Best Fit
    Feb 27, 2015
    60
    In the end, another eternity leaves us somewhere in the middle, to contemplate the excellent and the bland.
  7. The 405
    Mar 6, 2015
    55
    James and Roddick clearly have their sights set on mainstream success, but are instead in danger of sounding like one of the many pretenders that their first album spawned, rather than smart, subtly innovative band they once were.
  8. musicOMH.com
    Mar 17, 2015
    50
    More often than not you do wish another eternity was a little less slick and had a little more of the oddness and darkness which permeated Shrines in another eternity.
  9. Uncut
    Feb 26, 2015
    50
    There remains the faintest hint of gothic romance, a kind of Dead Can Dance Class. But you are likely to slip off trying to locate any kind of edge. [Apr 2015, p.83]
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  10. The Guardian
    Feb 26, 2015
    40
    In replacing their alien atmospheres with something a little more immediate, they’ve lost what was initially inviting to those other artists: they were outsiders, capable of great oddities and darkness.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 82 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 82
  3. Negative: 4 out of 82
  1. brettrosey
    Mar 4, 2015
    2
    As a huge Purity Ring fan, I came into this record with some of the highest expectations. To say that they let me down is the understatementAs a huge Purity Ring fan, I came into this record with some of the highest expectations. To say that they let me down is the understatement of the year. To me, this record is the epitome of a superficial electro pop album that barely scrapes past the surface. Every melody, every hook falls short to the point where I have to genuinely wonder what outside help they received on Shrines that they didn't get here. If this were merely a case of label deadline issues and they put this out a year after Shrines I'd cut them some slack. But this is the result of 3-4 years of effort. Tracks like "Repetition" and "Flood on the Floor" are ones that I would be genuinely embarrassed to put my name by. To me, another eternity is more than just a sophomore slump, it's the beginning of the end for the band that originally inspired me to become a music producer. I am still hopeful they turn it all around with their next effort, but I can't say I have much faith after hearing another eternity.… Full Review »
  2. longjetty7
    Mar 5, 2015
    9
    What originally drew me to Purity Ring was the ethereal sound and intricate textures on their first album, Shrines. Another Eternity is stillWhat originally drew me to Purity Ring was the ethereal sound and intricate textures on their first album, Shrines. Another Eternity is still recognizable as the same band, but it's a bit of a departure as well. On this album, Purity Ring is stepping out of the ghostly shadows and embracing a somewhat more mainstream electropop sound. The songs are a lot more melodic and catchy this time around, and they're actually distinguishable from each other! (I've listened to Shrines many times and still have a hard time remembering which song is which.) Even though Another Eternity may not be as innovative as Shrines, I think it's overall a stronger album. The songwriting is varied, confident, and consistent, and since the album is somewhat short, it makes me want to play it again when it's over.… Full Review »
  3. MirrorPhase
    Sep 29, 2016
    10
    'Another Eternity' consolidates the significant potential evident in Purity Ring's first album 'Shrines.' Many critics have argued the band'Another Eternity' consolidates the significant potential evident in Purity Ring's first album 'Shrines.' Many critics have argued the band has lost some of its alternative appeal with a cleaner, tighter and bigger sound. The general consensus seems to be that the duo is pushing toward the mainstream (code for 'selling out' perhaps). It could equally be argued, however, that Purity Ring's modus operandi on 'Another Eternity' is actually the exploitation of top 40 sounds and production standards to create something that is disconcertingly close to the mainstream even as it unsettles the latter's familiarity/banality. And this may be more powerfully 'alternative' than the band's use of more traditional techniques (read identity-markers) of indie music on their earlier work. Most notably the reverb-drenched vocals and warped/off-pitch keyboard melodies canonised by pioneers like Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine have been replaced with up-front pop-style vocal production and tight EDM basses and riffs, but the end result feels oddly displaced from the mainstream, even as it invites comparisons to MTV mainstays Katy Perry or Lil Wayne. It recalls the artistic strategy of re-framing the TV soapie employed so powerfully by auteur director David Lynch during his Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet era. 'Another Eternity' is decidedly dark, and reminded me of my first encounters with Massive Attack's Mezzanine. It also feels as significant a moment for electronic music as the release of that late 90s masterpiece. I should add, however, that Another Eternity does not fall foul of being a purely self-reflexive or academic exercise in musical post-modernism. Its astute appropriation and re-framing of pop creates a visceral masterpiece, with some of the most powerful songs I have heard for some time. It is also notable for its sheer consistency of quality. While the music industry norm is 3 or maybe 4 stand-out tracks on a major album release, with the remainder being fillers, nearly every track on this album shines. May this release auger still greater things to come.… Full Review »
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