Megan James, better known as one half of Purity Ring, has embarked on a new solo project. The vocalist and songwriter has now unveiled mmj with the release of her first single, ‘Nobody Knows’.

Released via Captured Tracks, the song trades Purity Ring’s shimmering electronics for something far more intimate and organic. Built around delicate acoustic instrumentation and James’ unmistakably spectral vocal delivery, ‘Nobody Knows’ feels raw and reflective. Lyrically, the song wrestles with uncertainty and human connection, with James describing it as “a fractal glimpse of humanity.”

Explaining that her new offerings are “folk songs refracted through a haunted lens. everything has been touched by real hands, tape, tubes or all the above. everything I sing I feel with my whole body.”

The single also arrives with an atmospheric accompanying video directed by director Jordan Hare. Shot across windswept rural landscapes and ash-grey open vistas, the clip mirrors the song’s fragile emotional pull through grainy textures, slow-motion cinematography and dreamlike images. Distant skies give the video wide cinematic quality that leans closer to arthouse short film territory than traditional indie-pop visuals.

James’ also recently announced she’ll be performing solo sets opening for Purity Ring on their forthcoming tour, pulling double duty, mmj feels less like a side project and more like the beginning of an entirely new creative world.

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