Pure Moods is the recording project of Melbourne’s Adam Madric, who you might know from a variety of bands who made their name in the city. After cutting his teeth with Bad Family, Closet Straights, Pearl Bay and more, Madric introduced Pure Moods in 2016 with the self-titled Moods debut released on Deaf Ambitions. The record won acclaim from some impressive places, its distinctive blend of bedroom pop intimacy and garage rock heft all tied together but an earnest, cheerful tone that often belied the vulnerability of the lyrics.
The new Pure Moods album, Upward Spiral, due out later this month on Tear Jerk Records, continues this style. Gathered from a collection of home recordings made between 2016 and 2019, the album is driven by the immediacy and freedom of self-recording, cutting out the distorting layers that traditional processes put between the songwriter and the final song. Clocking in at under twenty minutes, Upward Spiral is as direct and sincere as you can possibly get.
Lead single ‘Tide’ is a good indication of what to expect. With a jangling warmth forming the bedrock of the track, Madric delivers his conversational lyrics with a relaxed lilt. Though don’t be fooled by all the talk of casualness and concision, because Pure Moods sacrifices none of the emotion or narrative depth, providing a lesson in how to achieve a fully-formed vision without over elaborating.
