Party punks with a feminist streak, Purple proudly hail from east Texas — Beaumont, an oil town, to be exact. But you wouldn’t know it based on “Beach Buddy,” one of the highlights off 409, their recently released debut album. The infectious summer anthem, which sounds like The Strokes if they pulled a Ramones and hit up Rockaway Beach, finds drummer and primary vocalist Hanna Brewer trading sweet and sour harmonies with guitarist Taylor Busby over their sandy philandering.
“I think a really good hook and a positive vibe [are] what makes a good summer jam,” Brewer tells Flavorwire. “Basically Ja Rule’s top tracks and The Beach Boys can point you in that direction.”
When people hear “east Texas,” they don’t think beaches, but the song was inspired by the band’s hijinks at Crystal Beach, situated an hour’s drive southwest of their hometown. Brewer’s got the beach look on lock too: her rad and extensive collection of bikini tops are homemade. “I put some work into them,” she says. “I’m like, ‘How am I feelin’ right now?’ Then I make a top to fit that emotion.”
In the “Beach Buddy” video, which Flavorwire is pleased to premiere below, the band performs in the water — that is, when they aren’t wiping out on skates and skateboards.
“I busted my ass about 100 times in those skates,” Brewer says. “We also destroyed those instruments but it’s all good cuz we bought all of them for about $100 altogether. It was crazy playing drums in the tide. My stool and my drums kept sinking so we had to film each part really fast before we had to dig me out again.”
Purple are in the midst of recording their second album currently and will tour stateside this summer.