In the past year, the Portland dreamers Pure Bathing Culture have covered the Pretenders and R.E.M., but their most recent album, Night Pass came out in 2019, followed the next year by the Carrido EP.

Today, the duo is announcing a new project with Roxi’s Dream Pt. 1, which they described as “the first in a series of records we’ll be releasing over time telling the story of Roxi & Neroli, an otherworldly tale of two star crossed lovers who’ve lost one another due to circumstances beyond their control.”

Here’s their explanation:

With Roxi’s Dream Part 1 we are beginning an exploration into our version of an Isekai or portal fantasy theme. Of the four songs on the EP, two are told from the perspective of Roxi- ‘City of Mirrors and Neroli Blue’ while two are told from the perspective of Neroli- ‘In Gardens Under Evergreen’ and ‘Treasure Pleasure Wonder Gem’.

The story begins with a disappearance. Roxi has vanished and it’s uncertain whether it was voluntary or not. Neroli returns to a garden every night (the last place they saw Roxi) to look for a sign or clue. Wherever Roxi is, it’s highly unlikely they’re in the same world or universe that Neroli is in anymore. Whether Roxi has been drawn or tricked in some way onto some other plane is unknown at this time but regardless they’re gone, likely up into the night sky, without a trace.

As time passes and we write more together, what was once a mystery is starting to feel like some vital process we’re inexplicably drawn to…sometimes it almost feels like we’re translating someone else’s dreams from some other world. But then these love psalms and ghost stories become a lens for us to view a mirror and see that we’re writing about ourselves at the same time.

There’s so much more of Roxi and Neroli’s story to tell…..

Check it out below.

Roxi’s Dream Pt. 1 is out now.