Spotlight: Dirty On Purpose
Have you ever heard music that teeters between happiness and sadness? Between hopeful and hopeless? Between gentle and aggressive? That is push and pull of Brooklyn-based quintet Dirty on Purpose.

They are four guys and a girl who craft dreamy indie-pop with beautifully lush walls-of-sound and ominous accents of distortion. Their songs will creep up on you, but once they have you in their spell, you are instantly taken into a brooding, yet promising world where the melodies elegantly swirl and the music constructs and deconstructs with precision and daring.


Their debut EP, Sleep Late for a Better Tomorrow, to be released on North Street Records, has garnered much praise for its sweet blend of vocal harmonies with dynamic song structures that build and ebb into an overwhelming mixture, simultaneously tugging and hugging your heart. While their overall sound is admittedly hard to pinpoint, the band has been compared to a diverse selection of bands, including Ride, Sigur Ros, Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian, REM, Yo La Tengo, U2 and the Wedding Present.
 

Band Members
Doug Marvin (drums, vocals)
Erika Forster (keyboards, bass, vocals)
George Wilson (guitar, vocals)
Joseph Jurewicz (guitar, vocals)
DJ Boudreau (bass)

The group first formed in the fall of 2002 as members of the band met in college or through friends. It didn't take them long to flesh out songs for their self-titled 2003 demo, which they used to get gigs at some of New York's best venues, including Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, Rothko, North Six, Sin-e and Knitting Factory. The band has played with the likes of The Arcade Fire, The Thermals, Hidden Cameras, The Decemberists, Rogue Wave, Two Gallants, Rainer Maria, Earlimart, Trouble with Sweeney and Swell.



 
 *All songs on Artist Site.
Tracks from "Dirty On Purpose"
Dirty On Purpose
Dirty On Purpose
This month, Joe from Dirty On Purpose.
I am Joe, I play guitar and try to sing on occasion, and I will be answering these questions because no one else is around right now. Doug is our drummer and sings as well, DJ plays bass and George plays guitar and sings too.
I've never sang in a band before. I used to sing backup vocals and harmonies, but this is the first band I've ever sang in.
And where did the name for the band, Dirty On Purpose, come from?
The name is a reference to the point in time that we all started playing together. It was during the first big wave of young post college kids to hit Williamsburg and sort of take over, where everyone was starting a band and wearing ridiculous clothes and trying not to appear as well off as they actually were. It was a funny time, and the name was a joke that we never thought much of until now, when people ask why our name doesn't fit us at all. But I still like it. Brings back fun memories.

How would you describe your music?

I would describe it as the type of thing you would hear if four people who can only agree on one thing (getting together to play music) got together and played some music. We obviously like a few of the same things, but if one person ever decided to have a coup and take over the direction of the band, it would be pretty interesting. For instance, I would turn us into a Creedance cover band, and George would have us so noisy that only kids in Japan would get us.