Interview: Pure Bathing Culture talk Chalice, Roxi's Dream & more

+ Spring Rotation is here! 🌼

I had the pleasure of speaking with one of my favorite bands on the latest episode of Carefully Curated. Sarah & Daniel from the dream pop band Pure Bathing Culture have stayed busy lately. We talked in depth about their two incredible releases from 2023: the LP titled Chalice (which landed on my favorite albums of 2023 list) and the EP titled Roxi’s Dream, Pt. 1.

Chalice, which was self-produced, marked a shift from their previous collaborations with well-known producers. They told me about the unique period in which the album was created, touching upon the concept of time feeling different and reflecting on the serialization of song titles - which unintentionally mirrored the theme of ritualized creativity explored in the album.

We also talk about their 2019 album Night Pass, which turns five next month. It’s one of my favorite albums ever that I often call the Tango in the Night of the 2010s. They share some of the songwriting details behind one of my favorite tracks “Black Starling” which landed on my 2010s: 💯 Favorite Songs playlist.

It was a joy learning about their latest releases & hearing stories about songs from their incredible back catalogue. I hope you enjoy our conversation which you can hear below:

If you like what you hear, head on over to their Bandcamp page & check out their merch.

Playlists: Spring Rotation + Top 13

First up, I wanted to share this year’s Spring Rotation playlist. I know we’re a few weeks away from it officially being Spring, but I can’t imagine I’ll get another newsletter out before then. And I worked on it last week, so here it is! Each year I refresh this playlist with fresh songs with a few classics sprinkled in. I’m proud of this year’s playlist so far.

Included are new songs by Real Estate, Waxahatchee, MGMT, Becca Mancari, Kacey Musgraves, Bnny, High Tropics, and Hinds, to name a few. There’s also classics by The Replacements, Lush, Saint Etienne, Orange Juice, Crowded House & more. Plus, the title track from The War on Drugs’ Lost In The Dream which turns 10 next week 🤯

And here are 13 tracks you should hear from February 2023:

1. Liquid Mike - Town Ease: This is one of many power pop rippers on their latest album Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot - my album of the year so far. In case you missed it, I spoke with Mike Maple from the band last month on Carefully Curated.
   

2. Miracle Worker - Leave Me Alone: This Brooklyn indie duo featuring Annie Sullivan and Dylan Balliett (AKA Spirit Night) have made some of my favorite music from the last few years, and this single is another jangly addition to their catalogue.

3. Jimmy Montauge - The Smoke After The Kill: My favorite track from Jimmy’s latest album Tomorrow’s Coffee, the kind of album you put on at night while thinking about.. tomorrow’s coffee. Don’t sleep on that album. Check out Mikey Montoni’s review over at Swim Into The Sound.
   

4. Bully - Atom Bomb: It’s the kind of song that’ll stop you in your tracks. And it’s a different kind of song from Alicia Bognanno - no fuzzy guitars. Only Alicia’s powerful voice alongside a piano & strings.

5. Hurray For The Riff Raff - Hawkmoon: A standout track from another AOTY contender in The Past Is Still Alive. It has this incredible lyric: “Here’s a silver spoon, you can eat your heart out as a prize.” Check out the music video below:
   

6. Chromeo - Lost And Found: This soulful dance banger (which includes a bass line that sounds straight from Duran Duran) has been on repeat since the funk lordz 6th LP dropped. It’s their most cohesive record yet - and their sound remains unmatched.

7. Meernaa - A Promise: A lovely ballad that would have fit in nicely on Meernaa’s second album “So Far So Good” which was released last autumn & also made my AOTY list.
   

8. Microwave - Bored of Being Sad: The latest from the Atlanta emo band whose new album Let’s Start Degeneracy is out April 26! This one might have my favorite chorus of theirs yet.
   

9. Allie X - Galiana: Synth pop perfection, as is the entire Girl With No Face album. I also featured the track “John and Jonathan” on my “Not The 80s” playlist. 🎧 Read more about this Allie X era in this awesome Paper Magazine feature by Erica Campbell.
   

10. Lo Moon - Water: In a recent Spin feature, singer Matt Lowell said about Water: “I was very into David Foster Wallace during the pandemic. I found he had given a commencement speech to Kenyon College in 2005 entitled, “This is Water.” The last line of that speech was, “I wish you way more than luck.” I was like, “That’s a song.”

    And that line, my friends, became a hell of a chorus.

11. Khruangbin - May Ninth: A gorgeous breezy track that’s perfect for this time of year. Of course it landed on my Spring Rotation playlist.

12. Mk.gee - Alesis: One of my favorite tracks from their stunning debut album Two Star & The Dream Police, where R&B, rock & 80s pop intertwine.
    

13. Jessica Pratt - Life Is: A stunning & timeless closing track to round out the Top 13. Her 4th album Here In The Pitch is out May 3rd & is described as “her sharpest songs to date within an ever-broadening pool of influences including spectral '60s pop, Hollywood psychedelia and bossa nova.”

Let me know what you think of these songs & if I missed something you had on repeat last month. That’s all I got!
- Patrick