When trying to illustrate the musical stylings of pure xtc, the description is all in the name. The project of EXNATIONS drummer, Taylor Hughes, pure xtc thrives on haunting soundscapes bathed in dark synths and a craving for belonging as demons are kicked to the curb, but ultimately dealt with.
pure xtc was born during an extremely isolating time for Hughes during her move to NYC in 2019. Exploring the dark journey of homesickness and social isolation, the singer’s debut EP, Nobody’s Home, encapsulates a time to grow, face fears and rise up for the next chapter. Previous singles, “Ghost,” and “Bad Dreams” only proof that ‘chill-inducing’ is an understatement. Have this one handy for those night drives!
We asked Hughes to break down each track off of Nobody’s Home in this exclusive track-by-track commentary. Enjoy and don’t forget to pick up the EP!
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“Begin”
This was the first track I wrote and it really set the tone for the whole project. This is the moment I knew I wanted there to be a story arc. I wrote this next passage while I was writing out the “mood” of the track for my producer + great friend, Walter. Doing that really helped us figure out how we wanted to paint the picture sonically. You’re driving through the city at night and it just stopped raining, glowing neon signs are reflecting in the puddles between the cracked pavement. You’re ready to blow off some steam from a bad week, maybe even a bad year. Hell, you’re just looking for anything or anyone to make you feel something again.
“Ghost”
Have you ever felt alone at a table of friends? Maybe you didn’t even make it to the restaurant because they stopped asking you to hangout, after you’ve said “no” too many times. Because laying alone in bed with pizza and tequila felt a lot easier than explaining why you “look so sad” all the time. Yeah, I’ve been there. Isolating myself and then wondering where everyone went, turning myself into a literal ghost town. “Ghost” was the first song I ever wrote on a guitar, I was honestly just learning at that point. I was listening to a lot of Phantogram and The xx at the time. I was heavily influenced by The xx’s simplistic wet guitar tones and Phantogram’s bombastic fuzzed out beats.
“Matches”
“Matches” is all about knowing you’re in a cycle of self destruction but continue living in it. I collaborated with my friend Andy Hogarth (Drunk Girl), I’ve been a huge fan of his production style so I was really excited to finally have his touch on a track. I also have Pistol Pete, a new Kansas City friend featured in the second verse. He came over one day after work and he wrote that verse on the spot, I think we had it written and recorded within an hour.
“Bad Dreams”
“Bad Dreams” is here to hold your hand while you’re lying awake at night, replaying the worst break up of your life. You’re finally waving goodbye to red flags you blindly ignored for years. The gaslighting, the guilt, the betrayal… The truth twisting into your back like a knife. You can retrace the steps, fantasize and recreate the outcome, but you can’t change it. This song is about that moment of acceptance when you’re not sad anymore, you’re just pissed. One day I woke up after having a nightmare, I was having one almost every night for a week. On the way to work I kept hearing “I’ve been having bad dreams” over and over. I wrote most of this song in the break room of a guitar center, thank god I worked in a place where I could pick up a guitar and work an idea out on the spot.
“Underwater”
This track revisits the “Begin” theme – It was actually supposed to be the second verse of “Begin” but the stems didn’t send properly and it sounded cooler without it lol. I was still attached to the lyrics and they share some of the ocean references in the next song, “Old Wounds.” It’s kind of a cool progression – from feeling trapped underwater and afraid of “the ocean,” to wanting to swim again.
“Old Wounds”
“Old Wounds” has a lighter sound than the rest of the EP. It was important to me to include she/her pronouns in a love song. This song is about a woman by a woman, there’s not enough of them out there! I had been in nyc for a few months and had just gotten into the swing of things (not getting lost on the trains everyday). A love I thought was lost had come back into my life and she pulled me out of the darkness I had been carrying around. We were able to let go of our “Old Wounds” and start fresh and in a new city. This was THE hardest song for me to finish. Writing about love is so tricky, you don’t want it to be generic or too cheesy but it still needs to have a sense of vulnerability to it. In my true nature I described love as a knife cutting me open haha. I had my former bandmate from EXNATIONS, Sal Mastrocola hop in and add some synth love and samples. It was really cool collaborating with him again.
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