Photography by Bobby Nicholas III
By Nicole Bae
Pure Bathing Culture, the indie pop duo hailing from Portland, OR, dropped by our studio for a quick live session.
The duo started with "Devotion," the first single off of their newest record, Night Pass.
Because the full band wasn't there, the duo rearranged it as an acoustic, stripped down version. Sarah's clear, addictive voice came through even stronger with this rendition. The guitar, played by Daniel, perfectly supported the vocals. They continued with "All Night," another song from the album.
As the session continued, more and more staff from WERS stopped by the studio.
The bands' sound was alluring; even WERS' afternoon host, Phil Jones, popped in, citing how he didn't want to miss the show. Everyone in the booth couldn't help saying how beautiful they sounded. The duo looked perfectly at home: their performance felt so organic and natural that it almost felt like an impromptu jam sesh.
The band also discussed their origins.
It has been a long and winding road for Pure Bathing Culture, as Daniel and Sarah have known each other since they were eighteen - but they didn't immediately create Pure Bathing Culture. In fact, they had played in other bands together, prior to their current project. Daniel noted how it was an interesting start, as they had "known each other as musicians before [they] started writing music" together.
They performed one of the first songs they wrote together.
The duo dedicated the song, "Ivory Coast," to the late Richard Swift, one of their producers. You could sense how genuine they were, with the lyrics: "I know that you will love me till my eyes do close / You're what I love the most /I pray…"
