LA’s Purest Form have just announced their debut EP, S/T , and share its first single “Broke” – a dystopian, anthemic tornado of metal machine energy, a titanic neo-industrial achievement that captures the modern frustration of an increasingly isolated society that demands both punishing adherence to capitalism and the deconstruction of community to make space for technological advancement.
“It’s about the fear of artificial intelligence and the possibilities it could hold for further separating us from ourselves and from each other in society,” Beeson explains. “I’ve been afraid of AI for years. There’s a dystopian idea that your authentic self could be replaced by something artificial. Technology could take us away from our true selves. That’s the root of industrial music to me.”
The video, shot in a basement in the San Gabriel Valley by Kristopher Kirk and Jeremy Stith with a VX1000, is influenced by iconic, provocative post-punk videos from artists like Depeche Mode and NIN, but feels distinctly rooted in the mood of 2024 with its cyberpunk undertones.
LA’s Purest Form is on a quest to bolt together heavy metal and EBM (electronic body music) for a modern industrial sound that combines the cathartic freedom found both on club dance floors and in sweaty mosh pits. Formed in 2023, the band consists of guitarist and programmer Madison Woodward (Fury, Object of Affection), bassist Riley Joyner (Roman Candles, Pocketknife), and vocalist Story Beeson (Choking on Ash, Vacant Future), who were brought together by fate to make bodies pulse to machine metal noise and release us from the mundanity of our daily grind.
Purest Form’s S/T EP is arriving March 7. How are we feeling about “Broke”?
