adg211288 In the Meantime (2014) is an EP release by UK heavy psych act Purson. This is their first major release since their debut album The Circle and the Blue Door (2013) and it features a new line-up compared to that of the album.

The Circle and the Blue Door was a very late 2013 discovery for me, in fact it's only been a couple of months since I first heard of Purson. I'm pretty sure that if I had discovered the band in a more timely manner I would have given them accolades to the tune of one of year's best new bands/debut albums come the start of 2014. It's certainly proven to be an addictive release for me this last couple of months. While a second full-length album from Purson is high up on my wishlist, In the Meantime provides four tracks of excellent tide over material.

Even within the constraints of being an EP the different moods of Purson's music are covered really well on In the Meantime. In that sense this is a good set of introductory songs for someone to discover Purson for the first time. I'd say there's also evidence of new ideas being tried to. Chief among those is the opening track Death's Kiss which shows off a folksy side to the band which I find very effective; it's one of my favourite tracks from the EP. The other three tracks tread more familiar territory with Danse Macabre turning the previously quite light music towards the core heavy psych sound of the band. The last track I Will Be Good (another favourite of mine) in my opinion has a claim on being Purson's heaviest song yet (the other contender would be Wool from the EP Rocking Horse (2012)). I Will Be Good and the last as yet unmentioned track Wanted Man also add a progressive flair to the proceedings. In the Meantime may not even last a full twenty minutes but there's a lot packed into such a short space.

Overall, as is usually the case with even a good EP like this, the prior album The Circle and the Blue Door is ultimately more worth your time and money but In the Meantime is excellent complementary material for those of us sitting in anticipation for Purson's second album. It's equally addictive, shows off growth as a band and loses none of the magic that made their debut so great. You can't ask more of an EP in my opinion.

90/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/purson-in-the-meantime-t3824.html)