On the 20th of November 2022 myself and Ben started the Indie And A Show Podcast. Our plan was to review up-and-coming artists, but relied on getting submissions from willing bands. The very first track we ever listened to on the podcast was “When I’m Not with You” by Purple Grace, a band we were familiar with from local gigs. They performed with a strong identity, reinforced by that single. I’ve followed them since, and everything that followed stayed consistent with their initial sound, until I checked out ‘All This Time’.
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Before ‘All This Time’, Purple Grace were an Indie/Pop band with soft, controlled vocals that stayed in their comfort zone - but correctly utilised their unique voice creating a sound akin, in my opinion, to Irish Indie leaders Two Door Cinema Club. To deviate your sound is always a bold strategy, however the Oxfordshire quintet have found a way to evolve their product, mature their sound but maintain familiarity to their previous work. ‘All This Time’, listened to with the context of their previous discography, is a brilliant example of how a band should strive to get better with every release. 

Opening with grungier guitars, I felt stronger comparisons to Punk/Rock band We The Kings than the aforementioned Alternative artist. The vocals, quickly following a brief instrumental intro, have a similar edge instead of the usual softer tones heard in ‘When I’m Not With You’, a track so strong that other releases by Purple Grace have struggled to compete. A huge learn following their journey was how a band can combat having a brilliant song in their arsenal without disappointing your in following releases. The answer? Evolution.

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Purple Grace have always shown their strength in songwriting and tight musicianship. However, a slight change in the tone of each part has lifted their sound to a Punkier, Rockier sound, while maintaining their commercial viability. The instruments relentlessly rock along this track, ebbing and flowing to provide the required dynamic variation to hold the attention of listeners. Infrequent use of harmonies and backing vocals help create punchier moments and break the song up. The song ends with something of a signature from the band - a repeated vocal hook - that gets surrounded by the climax of the guitars. Each layer has moments of variation, ensuring a moment of repetition doesn’t get stagnant. A part of me wished for more utilisation of the strong backing vocals, however this is more personal greed and preference. 

All things considered, I’m very excited about this next stage of Purple Grace’s Journey. They’re clearly having fun, evolving musically, and growing their sound to diversify their genre-span. Somehow they have released a track that will appease those that have loved their previous work, while capturing another audience that maybe wanted more. They’re absolutely one to watch as they’re clearly destined for great things. 

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