Dirty on Purpose

A shoegazer-inspired indie band from New York City, Dirty on Purpose were part of the continuum of atmospheric guitar-oriented rockers with alternating male and female vocals that includes Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and My Bloody Valentine, as well as cult favorites like Antietam, Come, and Sleepyhead. Formed in Brooklyn in 2002, Dirty on Purpose originally consisted of keyboardist Erika Forster, guitarist Joseph Jurewicz, and drummer Doug Marvin (all of whom shared lead vocal duties), plus non-singing guitarist George Wilson and bassist D.J. Boudreau. Following a self-titled and self-released four-track EP released in 2003, Dirty on Purpose made a bigger splash with 2004's Sleep Late for a Better Tomorrow. Following the release of that debut effort, Forster left the band to start her own group, the electronically oriented Au Revoir Simone, which released the debut album Verses of Comfort, Assurance & Salvation in early 2006. After adding Wilson to fill the third lead singer spot, with occasional help from guest female vocalists, the slimmed-down Dirty on Purpose released their second album, Hallelujah Sirens, in May 2006. A pair of EPs followed in 2008; by the end of the year, however, Dirty on Purpose had decided to call it quits, with a New Year's Eve show in Manhattan marking their final gig. The band reunited in 2025 to record two new songs as part of a vinyl reissue of their first two releases. ~ Stewart Mason, Rovi

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