Biography
The experimental dream pop endeavor Purple Pilgrims belongs to sisters Clementine and Valentine Nixon, who examine notions of synthesized nature and ancient futurism throughout their recordings. Crystalline vocals that recall the ethereal grace and insight of Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins merge with radiant synths and indistinct guitars conveying both forward-looking and timeless qualities. Early releases wrapped tracks in dense lo-fi distortion, yet this haze was gradually removed on Eternal Delight in 2017 and Perfumed Earth in 2019, allowing their singular blend of folk inspirations and synthetic textures to reach its most immersive state.
Clementine and Valentine Nixon grew up in Hong Kong and on New Zealand’s South Island in a household whose musical lineage stretches far back, given that their great-grandfather Davie Stewart was documented by Alan Lomax. The sisters returned to China in 2011 after the Christchurch earthquake and began creating music at that time. Once they resettled in New Zealand, they performed at galleries and other Christchurch spaces; their debut single, a self-titled piece of ethereal, fuzzed-out folk, appeared that same year on PseudoArcana. Purple Pilgrims later toured alongside artists such as Ariel Pink and Gary War, with whom they shared a split album issued by Upset the Rhythm in 2013.
After signing to Not Not Fun, the sisters went back to New Zealand to record their first full-length. Captured inside a shed on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula, 2016’s Eternal Delight presented a more streamlined and cleanly captured version of Purple Pilgrims’ otherworldly sound. The following year the duo released the single “Drink the Juice,” which included percussion by Nick Malkin of LA Vampires and Sun Araw plus mixing by Jorge Elbrecht. For the second album they revisited the same recording space and worked with Gary War, saxophonist Jeff Henderson, and guitarist Roy Montgomery. The outcome was the crystal-clear meditations of Perfumed Earth, issued by veteran New Zealand indie label Flying Nun in August 2019. The Nixons renamed the project Clementine Valentine for August 2023’s The Coin That Broke the Fountain Floor. Released once more by Flying Nun, the album was produced by Randall Dunn, mixed by Heba Kadry, and offered a more polished take on the sisters’ stately synth-folk.
Clementine and Valentine Nixon grew up in Hong Kong and on New Zealand’s South Island in a household whose musical lineage stretches far back, given that their great-grandfather Davie Stewart was documented by Alan Lomax. The sisters returned to China in 2011 after the Christchurch earthquake and began creating music at that time. Once they resettled in New Zealand, they performed at galleries and other Christchurch spaces; their debut single, a self-titled piece of ethereal, fuzzed-out folk, appeared that same year on PseudoArcana. Purple Pilgrims later toured alongside artists such as Ariel Pink and Gary War, with whom they shared a split album issued by Upset the Rhythm in 2013.
After signing to Not Not Fun, the sisters went back to New Zealand to record their first full-length. Captured inside a shed on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula, 2016’s Eternal Delight presented a more streamlined and cleanly captured version of Purple Pilgrims’ otherworldly sound. The following year the duo released the single “Drink the Juice,” which included percussion by Nick Malkin of LA Vampires and Sun Araw plus mixing by Jorge Elbrecht. For the second album they revisited the same recording space and worked with Gary War, saxophonist Jeff Henderson, and guitarist Roy Montgomery. The outcome was the crystal-clear meditations of Perfumed Earth, issued by veteran New Zealand indie label Flying Nun in August 2019. The Nixons renamed the project Clementine Valentine for August 2023’s The Coin That Broke the Fountain Floor. Released once more by Flying Nun, the album was produced by Randall Dunn, mixed by Heba Kadry, and offered a more polished take on the sisters’ stately synth-folk.
Albums
Singles
