Pure XTC talks debut album, creative process and finding a home in Kansas City
Kansas City-based singer, songwriter and producer Pure XTC joined Derek and Anna on "The Evening Drive" to talk about her musical beginnings, the creation of her debut album, "The Women I Loved, the Songs I Kept" and what comes next.
Behind Pure XTC is Taylor Hughes, a musician who has been surrounded by music for nearly her entire life.
“I’m a singer, songwriter, producer, but I was a drummer first,” Hughes said. “So, I do a little bit of everything.”
Her interest in music started early. Hughes remembers asking her parents for instruments when she was around 5 years old. With two music-loving parents, she was exposed to artists from a young age, including Billie Holiday.
“I was really obsessed with Billie Holiday, and I would poorly sing her songs as a toddler,” Hughes said.
By high school, there was little question about what she wanted to do.
“Once I hit high school, it was done,” she said. “I was going to be a musician.”
From Baltimore to Kansas City
Before making Kansas City home, Hughes spent much of her life on the East Coast. She was born in Baltimore and lived there for roughly 27 years before moving to Jersey City while playing with a band based in Brooklyn.
As conditions in the New York area became increasingly uncertain, they headed back to Kansas City with the idea that it would only be temporary.
“We’re like, ‘We’ll just take a pit stop here for a minute,’” Hughes said. “It’s been like six years.”
Kansas City seems to have won her over, especially its food.
A little bit “crunchy”
When asked to describe the sound of Pure XTC in only one word, Hughes landed on an unexpected choice: “crunchy.”
“I don’t know why," she said. "I’m like, I’m a little crunchy."
But there is a reason behind the description.
“Go back and listen next time with crunch in mind and you’ll be like, ‘I hear it,’” Hughes said. “It’s in the bass or the guitar. There’s always something a little crunchy.”
That sound now has its fullest showcase yet with the release of her debut album, "The Women I Loved, the Songs I Kept."
For years, Hughes primarily released singles. Eventually, she realized it was time to create a complete body of work.
“I’ve been doing music forever, and I have not put out a full body of work in any of my projects,” she said. “It’s time. I just have to do it.”
Some songs were already written, while others were created intentionally for the project. Hughes said she initially focused on writing as much as she could and allowing the common thread between the songs to reveal itself.
Eventually, that connection became clear.
“This is a compilation of love songs in a way, or anti-love songs, or a love letter to New York,” Hughes said, noting that many of the experiences behind the album happened there.
Now that the album is finally available for listeners, the experience still does not completely feel real.
“People are like, ‘I love the album,’ or ‘These are my favorite songs,’” Hughes said. “And I’m like, it doesn’t feel real yet.”
There is also something intimidating about releasing something that was once entirely personal.
“Once you’ve released it, it’s no longer kind of only yours,” Hughes said. “It’s everybody’s now.”
8 months for 1 missing piece
Each song on the album came together differently, but “She Runs on Batteries” stands out to Hughes for its particularly long creative process.
Hughes worked remotely on the song with her friend and former bandmate JK, who lives in Virginia. Using a program that allowed them to collaborate on the track in real time, the pair repeatedly reworked the song.
“We probably rewrote it like three times before we figured out that it just needed a post-chorus hook,” Hughes said.
The answer turned out to be surprisingly simple: repeating the line “She runs on batteries, baby.”
“That reshaped the whole song,” Hughes said.
It only took them about eight months to figure it out.
Beyond finishing the track, the sessions also gave the former bandmates a chance to reconnect despite living in different time zones.
“It was cool just getting to catch up with him,” Hughes said. “I would just have my wine, and we’re writing and chatting. So, it was a fun process.”
Creating the album’s visual world
The album cover was another first for Hughes. It was the first album cover she created herself.
Although she initially felt pressure to get the artwork for her debut album right, the idea became easier to execute once she knew what she wanted it to represent.
The final image connects to visuals from the “Lost Weekend” music video and features Hughes sitting across from an empty chair.
“I knew that I wanted to sit on the couch and face an empty chair,” Hughes said. “So, it’s like the women of my past.”
The unusual setting, complete with a hand-shaped chair and clouds visible through a window, helped create the surreal atmosphere Hughes wanted while reinforcing the album’s themes.
What comes next
With the album finally out, Hughes is trying to resist immediately jumping into her next giant project.
That may be easier said than done.
“The problem is, I actually do them,” Hughes joked about her tendency to come up with ambitious ideas. “And then I drag my wife along with me.”
For now, her focus is staying in the current album cycle, promoting the record, recording live sessions and playing shows. She said festivals are also beginning to fall into place for early next year.
One performance already stands out among her favorites: Chicago’s Back Lot Bash at the end of Pride Month, where go-go dancers joined Pure XTC onstage during “Midnight Snack.”
“It was fantastic,” Hughes said.
As for one of the most important questions of the entire interview? Hughes had an answer ready for what question she had always wanted someone to ask her.
“Who makes your favorite biscuit?”
The answer: Red Lobster.
Listeners can find Pure XTC on social media at @PureXTCMusic and stream "The Women I Loved, the Songs I Kept" on major music platforms.
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