Standard of Living is the second LP by Pure Ground who are on Chondritic Sound. The band from Los Angeles has been creating minimal electronic industrial music with harmonies and discordant elements since 2012. Member G. Holger and J. Short use influences of science fiction and horror to produce a sound that presents dystopian reality and contemporary warfare by way of rhythmic electronics.
Success for the band in Los Angeles has included showcasing analog video work during performances and playing shows with bands such as Martial Canterel, High-Functioning Flesh, Lust for Youth and Pharmakon. Pure Ground also just finished a tour of Europe that included dates in Sweden, Denmark, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Germany.
Standard of Living is an album filled with simple yet effective sounds comprised of layers of keyboard music and essential electronic drums. Vocals echo across the music landscape completing the atmospheric sound.
Great tracks on this album include mysterious synth-layered “Watch the Lines Grow” and straight-forward electro on “War in Every House.” In “Poison” we get an uptempo ebm track that evokes the great Belgian new wave electronic sounds of the 80s. Beginning to end, the music on Standard of Living is a definite playlist keeper.