Spotlight: Still Thriving: Pure Hex Embarks On New Journeys With Latest Album ‘Still Dark’

Q&AMusic

Aug 8

☆ BY CAMERON CAPANASH ☆

A DEFINING SOUND HELPS PROPEL A BAND — and gain more traction in the music scene, but it can be difficult if one sound doesn’t work or if there is a constant change of evolution in the band or artist. One band showing everyone that they can keep ripping it up from one incredible sound while changing to a whole new one on their latest album, Still Dark, is Pure Hex. Composed of Marta Alvarez, Zach Dighans, Hussain Khan, Jon Annunziato, and Luke Clingerman, the San Francisco band already has taken the music scene by storm, as their popularity keeps growing as they continue to play bigger venues and more shows.

Still Dark will propel them even further — released on June 3, the eight-track album shines with inspiration and authenticity, but it isn't always fun and games when recording great music. “We only had 12 days to record the album and we were on a budget, but we saved up for it and recorded in Colorado with our producer,” lead vocalist Alvarez says. “We definitely felt rushed because of finances.” Life as a musician can be a little difficult, but with the talent that each member of the band holds, Still Dark listens like it wasn’t rushed in the slightest.

Throughout the album, you can hear the influences from such bands as The Cocteau Twins, and the new musical direction, as opposed to the band's previous releases, take the listener's hold with outstanding shoegaze-inspired tracks. The band’s lead guitarist, Khan, explains the maturity and growth in this release that lead to this specific sound: “I feel like the structure is better thought out, the tone is lighter at times, we catch more of the variety of sounds we can hit, and it’s more hi-fi,” he says.

When listening, it does sound as if the band has full creative control over this record, which seems to be doing them a lot of good. And having this creative control is what helped their vocals become more apparent in Still Dark. “The vocals are just way more impressive in this album,” drummer Annunziato puts it. “We really wanted the vocals to be in the front seat. The lyrics are significant, like the sound in the album.”

Still Dark gives listeners a new perspective with every listen because of how much the band has embedded in the album. “Vocal production goes pretty hard with the harmonies that we have recorded — just like little nuance things that you would only really understand or hear if you listen to the album a few times through,” Khan says. “I feel like there's so much stuff we added to this album — there are layers of things you’ll find, [and] there’s something new every time you listen to it.”

With this incredible album under their belts, there seems to be no stopping Pure Hex. After already playing their release show and the famous venue The Chapel in San Francisco, they will be hitting the road this August with another local San Francisco band, Thank You Come Again. Be sure to see Pure Hex live on the road or in the Bay Area, and be sure to check out their latest album, Still Dark, which is out on all streaming platforms.

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We couldn’t be more stoked to have Suriel Hess as our new headliner for our upcoming LA show 🤩 🫶 Not gonna lie, us & Notorious Noise kinda went OFF with this line up & you’re not gonna wanna miss it - ticket link in bio 🎫