Here's something that you didn't want to know: It's been about 14 years since the Canadian synthpop duo Purity Ring released their debut single "Ungirthed." That part of your life is over. Sorry. Purity Ring themselves have been missing in action lately. The last time that we heard from them was two years ago, when they released the Black Dresses collab "Shines." But now, a Purity Ring peer has reworked "Ungirthed" into something different.
This year, the Canadian indie label Last Gang turns 20. As part of its anniversary festivities, the Last Gang People have released a new version of "Ungirthed" from Cadence Weapon, the rapper and former music critic otherwise known as Rollie Pemberton. Cadence Weapon comes from Edmonton, the same small city as Purity Ring, and he has enlisted Toronto producer Dan Only to help him construct a very different version of "Ungirthed." In the process, Cadence Weapon joins Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, and Playboi Carti on the list of people who have rapped over Purity Ring samples. The new "Ungirthed" appears on a forthcoming compilation of covers of Last Gang tracks, but it's not really a cover. Cadence Weapon has this to say:
When I was asked by Last Gang to contribute to their 20th anniversary compilation, I knew I wanted to transform "Ungirthed" by Purity Ring pretty much right away. Corin and Megan are both fellow Edmontonians, and I still remember the excitement I felt when they first came on the scene with that song in 2011. I wanted to channel that spirit of discovery by writing new lyrics over a new version of the beat for that song reimagined by my homie Dan Only. The resulting cover hopefully shares some of the beautiful, transfixing and beguiling DNA of the original.
Below, listen to the Cadence Weapon/Dan Only version of "Ungirthed,' as well as the Purity Ring original.
The Last Gang 25th-anniversary compilation is out 4/25.
