Prurient 'Time's Arrow'

Released in 2011 by Hydra Head Records, Time’s Arrow captures Prurient at a pivotal moment, pushing Dominick Fernow’s harsh-noise roots into colder, more rhythmic and atmospheric territory. The five-track EP followed closely behind Bermuda Drain, continuing that record’s move toward drum machines, synthesizers and more defined song structures without sacrificing the tension and abrasion that had long defined Prurient.

Rigid beats, stark synth lines and uneasy electronics give the opening material an almost hypnotic pull, but the EP gradually strips away that sense of control. By its final stretch, melody and rhythm begin to fracture into harsher industrial noise, distorted electronics and collapsing textures. Pitchfork described the record as moving from dark, structured electronics toward something increasingly formless and apocalyptic, which gets at the strange arc of the EP surprisingly well.

Time’s Arrow is one of Prurient’s most accessible entry points without ever becoming comfortable, balancing darkwave, industrial electronics, noise and power electronics in a way that feels both severe and strangely magnetic.