Morgan Garrett has long been a stalwart presence in independent American experimental music. The 2024 release of Purity on Orange Milk Records, his acclaimed fifth full length and first vinyl release, underscores his commitment to his craft and to the wider world of challenging electronic music.
Purity is a response to finding a neighbor’s dead body. While processing this trauma and his own relationship with suicidal ideation, Morgan Garrett created an album of dissonance and fragile voice, oscillating between dense electric guitars and anxiety ridden whispers. This mesh of avant-garde electronics, rock instrumentation and hi-fidelity production is a new assertion in underground music.
Morgan followed this release with the "Purity USA Tour", a 46 day self-booked headlining tour extending across the CONUS, performing at venues such as Zebulon (LA), Johnny Brenda's (PHL) and Trans Pecos (NYC). The live set begins in darkness: Morgan sitting down as he nervously lines his hands through his face and hair. ASMR-like sounds of creaky floorboards, crackling fire, and industrial noise play through his PA while footlights begin to flicker.
After a break of silence, Morgan explodes into song as he shreds through tracks from the LP with punishing live vocals, effected acoustic guitar, and blistering strobe lighting. The footlights and strobes cast giant shadows behind him as he flails and falls onto the ground, presenting an image like a person on fire. In full visibility, his gestures and expressions are exaggerated and extreme, reminiscent of Butoh.
All the while his soaring voice and electronic avant-garde backing band crash onto the audience like a shockwave of discontent. Morgan maintains an unwavering energy throughout the duration of his 30 minute psychodrama.