Purity Ring Drop Breezy New Single: “imanocean”
- Josh Kitchen
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
The pioneering electronic duo will release their self-titled fourth album in September
By: Josh Kitchen / August 21, 2025
Purity Ring have long been a constant source of creative writing and forward-thinking pop auteurship — often weaving in elements of dream pop, classical instrumental styles, and inventive recording methods that set them apart from so many imitators and newcomers. Their debut album Shrines was foundational in early 2010s electronic music, and the band — made up of Corin Roddick and Megan James (or MJ for short) — are now readying the release of their self-titled fourth album, due out September 26 via the fellowship The new eponymous album is inspired by early-aughts video games like Final Fantasy X and Nier: Automata, with the duo creating their own sonic universe and characters within an imagined video game world — even developing avatars for the album art and branding. Their upcoming live show promises to fully immerse audiences into this digital fantasy realm.
After releasing the singles “place of my own,” “part ii,” and “many lives,” Purity Ring are dropping their breezy new single, “imanocean” today. The track is another example of the duo’s refusal to be confined to one genre or sound — evoking Fleetwood Mac in its sunny execution, with James’ delicate vocals floating over a three-and-a-half-minute, candy-sweet pop morsel. imanocean is "A wave away from all the things we’ve made, yet still thoroughly us," MJ says of the track. I spoke with Purity Ring ahead of the new single as they prepare to release their self-titled album, and we touched on the video game influences, how they adapted to recording and writing during the pandemic, a preview of their upcoming fall live show, and why making this record was the most enjoyable time they’ve had writing music in a long time.
MJ:
We are really excited about this record. It came together in a way that previous records have not. It feels like a totally new era. And we really embraced that when we were writing.
From the very beginning, we came at it from a place where we didn’t have any expectations on us. It kind of felt like how songwriting used to feel before it was our "job." This felt more experimental for both of us. It turned into this sort of expansive world that we have existed in for the last couple years while making it — and that we really want to bring people into. Sonically, but also visually, and in the way we do with our live shows. We’re like, come into the fold — or the living room, we used to say.
We want to really build on all the ways that we can show what this world is outside of just how it sounds. But yeah, all in all, it is just the record, and we're really proud of this one, and excited to be in a new place with songwriting.
And I think what's really exciting about this eponymous LP is kind of this new video game world kind vibe. You even created your own avatars. I was listening to the new album, and I got to “Memory Ruins,” and I’m like, oh man, this makes me feel like I’m playing Final Fantasy — specifically X and X-2 — and like Kingdom Hearts. Talk to me about that idea and where that came from.
Corin:
That's awesome. I love that it gave you that feeling unprompted. Final Fantasy X came out in, what, 2001? I’m a ’90s kid, so it hit at a really pivotal moment for me. It was the first JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) that really blew me away. The whole world of it — the music, everything — the memories I have of first immersing myself in the world of that game have really influenced me through a lot of the music I’ve made.
For this album in particular, we pinpointed that we were trying to create this video game aesthetic through the music. The memories of playing that game were a big touch point. So yeah, I think in a song like “Memory Ruins,” possibly more than others, it shows. I’m glad you picked up on that.
You're creating this sonic world for listeners that touches upon familiarity people might have, while at the same time giving it Purity Ring’s specific spin. Not a lot of bands can do that — combine nostalgia with fresh material.
Corin:
I’m glad that’s your read on it. That was our approach — to not be too on the nose.
I’d heard other music where the video game influence is part of the DNA, but very surface-level. Like, “we used an Ocarina of Time sample” and built a song around it. That’s cool, but we wanted to weave it into the tapestry of what we were already doing. Even if you’ve never played those games, you can enjoy it as a Purity Ring album. But if you do know the references, you’ll make those connections.
There’s so much forward-thinking music on this record and a lot of different musical ideas. "imanocean" for instance — it feels so fresh for you guys. Almost like a Fleetwood Mac/Purity Ring song. Talk to me about a song like that.
MJ:
That one came together over a very long period of time. In every record we make, we're building a world, so for this particular world, it ended up making a lot of room for us to just take risks that for whatever reasons, we hadn't taken before. Within a vidoe game or a story like that with clear lines around it already, sometimes it feels like there's a lot more room to explore and do something that doesn't quite fit in it. I think that allowed us to make a lot of interesting decisions for us. We're pretty comfortable being musicians at this point, so there's room for writing a song like that.
Your early work—especially on Shrines—had this beautifully visceral, almost anatomical lyricism that felt deeply spiritual, like a raw connection between the body and the Earth. Over time, your writing has remained rich with imagery and symbolism, and on this new self-titled album, it feels like those themes have evolved into something even more expansive and mythic. What kinds of personal experiences or creative shifts have shaped that evolution? And how do the lyrics on this album reflect where you are now, emotionally or spiritually?
MJ:
So, my lyrics over time are sort of a window into parts of my life that are genuinely only in my journals, and shared maybe only with my closest people. I've always thought of music as the place to put that, because these words alone are great, but put into the context of rhythm and sound, it can create an entire feeling — they become like a room anybody can enter. I want our music to be that: like a physical place where anyone can go inside, hear all these combined elements, and feel like they're understood. That's what I get from it anyway.
That said, due to a number of events and situations I've encountered over the last few years, this album in particular is me recounting all the things I hold dear, because I'm so frustrated with this world. It's me dreaming of a better one that is centered around disability justice — without structural ableism, carceral systems, genocide, transphobia, and so on. All struggles are interconnected. It's about the type of dreaming I've begun doing in order to join the people who have already been working to build something better. I want that with my entire being — it's in everything I do. And when I listen back to older songs, lyrically all the same things are there.
On this album, I used more characters to say the things I wanted to. They're versions of myself, but they're also the people around me. So, like, there's an oracle who is telling us what the future looks like, or what's inside us. There's someone who's lost and searching. There's someone who is content and waiting. They became the characters in this RPG world we made of it — but really, it's just the inside of my head after realizing a few things about how this world works, and how it doesn't have to.
Your last release was the Graves EP in 2022. What have you learned musically in that time?
Corin:
That’s an interesting question. After we released our third album Womb — right as COVID hit in early 2020— everything changed. We were rolling the album out as the pandemic was rolling out. That impacted the next couple years of what we thought our lives would look like with promoting that record and touring.
It created a hard reset for us. It wasn’t really a choice. It was just like, well, that’s the past — we made those three records. It created a vacuum where it felt like we were starting again from a blank slate.
For some reason, it was freeing. Megan mentioned earlier that working on this record was the most enjoyable time we’ve had writing music in a long time. There was no pressure. That also plays into it being the self-titled album. It captures that fresh start for us — stepping into a new era after completing a three-album arc that wrapped up the aesthetic we’d set since Shrines.
Combined with the forced break of the pandemic, it set the stage for the freshness we jumped into with this one.
It seems like it also plays into how you’re presenting the record and music — inspired by this created video game world. What’s more freeing than an RPG where you can do anything for as long as you want? Especially after a period of time when we all had to be inward-looking during the pandemic. I think it comes across on this record. And I’m very excited for the new live show. What can we expect from seeing you live this year?
MJ:
We’re building a show involving all the people who’ve been part of the visuals so far. We want to create on stage a three-dimensional world that we’ll be within — and hopefully the audience feels they can enter too.
Corin:
This time, with the visuals and world we’ve created, there’s so much more to dig into and express on the live side. We’re experimenting with technology I’ve never seen used on stage before. Hopefully that will be as exciting for the audience as it is for us. For us, as an electronic band, we don’t want to just press spacebar on a laptop. We spend almost as much time designing the live experience as we do writing songs. It’s a whole second life and creation process for the music.
Purity Ring has become an influential electronic mainstay. Are there acts you’re excited about right now that we should know more about?
Corin:
There are a lot of exciting artists now. Something I love about this era of music is how many underground artists are just existing. Every time I discover a new artist, I dive into who they’ve collaborated with, and it just keeps going deeper. Sometimes you end up on someone’s page with only five monthly listeners, but it’s amazing.
I really like this artist Emma Aibara, from Tokyo. She blends IDM and drum and bass with emo-heavy guitars in such a unique way. The way she transitions between sections is fluid, and it feels like something truly new. She’s been one of my favorite new artists the past couple years.
MJ:
There’s this artist - Meaningful Stone I’ve been loving. She just put out a record recently. And another artist from South Korea, Parannoul, I’ve been loving as well.
Other art you’re influenced by right now? Movies, books, whatever.
MJ:
If I can get off Instagram, I’d be influenced by art.
Corin:
That’s a good answer.
Last book you read?
MJ:
Not the last one I read, but whenever this comes up, I think of The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. I think of that book so often. It’s one of the best books ever written — beautiful, an amazing representation of an entire culture without gender.
Corin:
I’ve been playing Metaphor: ReFantazio for PS5. Very excellent RPG. Highly recommend.
Purity Ring is out September 26 and you can pre-order it here. Catch Purity Ring on tour in your city:
