Pure Assassins is actually a solo project from Chris Rush, a veteran of the 1990’s ‘drum & bass’ scene with collectives like Calyx, and on this self-release titled Questions. He’s since moved more into adopting a somewhat harder style which has allowed him to broaden his range. He claims, ‘On this album, I decided not to limit myself and to go with my first instincts, so as to keep the creative process open and free from too much self-analysis and criticism.’ This has led to him producing, in his own words, ‘some of the most emotionally and connected music I’ve ever made.’
Written and recorded during 2021, Questions was written mainly as a solo venture but the finished product includes the occasional assistance from Tom Hooper on drums plus Pablo Uccellotore on bass. The result is an album which has all the feel of someone jamming in the studio, making up tunes as he goes along, with a few backing tapes playing behind him. It’s a minimalist album, with most of the ten tunes here being mainly guitar and drums, with occasional backing from female voices, varying between rock and indie, with the track ‘Sing Their Song’ close to being a Gospel tune, plus ‘Heathen’ and ‘Spin Till The End’ being more rock-oriented.
On Questions, Chris Rush says he drew on his varied influences to make the album. I’m not entirely clear who these might be because there’s no discernible pattern to what’s on offer, however, there is sure to be a target audience out there for this record.
