GENRE: Pop/R&B/Electronic /Rap
LABEL: 10k
REVIEWED: 19th September, 2025
Purity, the collaborative record from New York producers Anysia Kym and Tony Seltzer, is a striking fusion of otherworldly R&B textures and hard-hitting percussion. The project establishes a frosty, dreamlike atmosphere—one that can vanish as quickly as it arrives—leaving the listener both captivated and unsettled.
Anysia Kym’s music often feels like drifting through a dream you can’t quite escape. Her earlier release, Truest, blended restless breakbeats with hazy, surreal samples and her uniquely pitched vocals, carving out a space somewhere between Solange’s soulful experimentalism and the cartoonish abstractions of Captain Murphy. With Purity, she expands on that sensibility alongside Seltzer, who brings a long resume of eclectic collaborations, from airy tracks with Eartheater to rap-focused work with Smokepurpp and Princess Nokia. Their connection first took root through Brooklyn’s underground scene, and here they merge their approaches into a set of songs that are both atmospheric and forceful.
Tracks like “Relaxxxxx” and “Big Difference” showcase this duality, with Kym’s airy, hypnotic delivery set against percussion that feels designed for the club. The production often leans toward shadowy, late-night moods, creating an ambiance that feels both intimate and detached. Yet for all its strengths, Purity struggles with consistency. The sequencing is abrupt, with songs that sometimes end too quickly, cutting off just as they begin to build momentum. This lack of flow disrupts the listening experience and keeps the album from feeling as cohesive as Kym’s solo projects or Seltzer’s earlier tapes.
Still, individual tracks shine. “Long4,” the only piece to stretch past two minutes, offers the most immersive experience, using silence and space to heighten its impact. “Afterparty” brims with promise, its warmth and vulnerability almost tangible, though it leaves you wishing for more time to fully unfold. Meanwhile, “To Death” bursts with playful energy, its string flourishes and skittering drums framing Kym’s vocals with a mischievous brightness. These songs reveal the duo’s potential at its best: intimate, dynamic, and compelling.
Compared to the denser, collage-like layers of Kym’s solo work, Purity takes a more streamlined approach. The album substitutes abrupt shifts and micro-interludes for polished transitions, favoring short bursts of energy over extended journeys. Seltzer’s muscular beats—especially the booming 808s and sharp kicks on tracks like “Automatic” and “Big Difference”—contrast with Kym’s ethereal harmonies, highlighting the push and pull between grit and delicacy.
In the end, Purity may not always feel complete, but its highlights more than justify the listen. The record thrives on the tension between weight and weightlessness, between earthly percussion and celestial vocals. Even with its flaws, the project confirms Anysia Kym’s status as one of the most intriguing experimental voices of her generation and shows Tony Seltzer’s adaptability as a producer. Together, they craft a record that, while imperfect, leaves an impression like a fleeting dream you can’t quite shake.
