The Purrs 'The Purrs' album

There’s something strangely familiar, something awfully comforting about the sounds emanating from this room. A jangle here, a shoegaze haze there, and enough hooks to empty a small lake if musical hooks were, indeed, the type used to harvest fish. And what do these songs, reportedly written by The Purrs, have in common? Some would say Galaxie 500 with a little bit of Luna for continuity sake; others, the Verve chased with the Church. Like responses to a Rorschach test, The Purrs can be whatever you want them to be, really. They are from the well-caffeinated, wildly creative city of Seattle, after all. (Hey, you gotta do something while it rains like a romanticized London for days on end, so why not write some songs and share the stage with Explosions in the Sky, Okkervil River, Jesse Sykes and The Wrens, like The Purrs have.

“I don’t care about being compared to bands,” says bassist/vocalist Jima, who’s been called the second coming of Richard Ashcroft several times over. “I think the Verve and Galaxie 500 are great. Plus they had careers and I don’t. You can compare me to a tree if it makes people want to buy our record.”

Ah, that Jima. He’s quite a character, isn’t he? The kind of frontman you share pints and stories with, not stodgy question & answer sessions with the consistency of rice cakes. Which is a good thing. Who likes the latter anyway, right? Just don’t expect him, drummer Craig Keller or the two Jason guitarists/backup vocalists, Atkin and Milne, to get all tabloid-y on you.

“Our mentality isn’t conducive to wild stories,” explains Jima. “But I’d like some; I’d like to be like that Pete Doherty guy.”

He’s kidding. We think. Eh, the truth will come this fall, when The Purrs stage their first nationwide tour from the comfy confines of Gas Huffer’s old van. Until then, this self-titled collection of re-mastered, self-released favorites will serve as a suitable intro to The Purrs’ story. (Which is still being written, in case you’re wondering.)

“Think of this as our Greatest Hits, if we had a hit,” says Jima, adding that this Sarathan debut contains two songs from their second EP (No Particular Bar, No Particular Town, 2004) and 7 of 13 selections from their 74-minute DIY opus (The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, 2005).

Truth be told, The Purrs have actually had several hits on the world-renowned Seattle radio station KEXP. The non-profit has also asked them to participate in numerous benefits, including the second annual “Rock Lottery” (a day-long event that randomly divides 25 area musicians into five impromptu bands; Jima was paired with Aaron Huffman of Harvey Danger, among others). Since KEXP is one of the nation’s leading streaming radio stations, the exposure has led to online orders and “when are you coming to our town?” requests from Australia, South America and Europe.

“It wasn’t like we were pimping our record to KEXP,” explains Jima. “They just heard it and liked it. Most of our songs are about drinking and playing music––pretty straightforward and hooky. That is what we do and what we know, so that’s what we sing about, right?”

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The Purrs - The Purrs