“To the west, to the west, I need anchors … I need strong hands, to pull me up over the mountains, before I love you again,” Chris Pureka confides on “Holy,” from 2016’s Back in the Ring. Anchors are a recurring lyrical theme, as the Portland, Oregon, singer-songwriter tries to ground herself and those she loves across a series of mostly low-key, intimate folk-pop songs. On “Bell Jar,” she declares, “Well I held you like an anchor, but I want to hold you like an ocean.” Meanwhile, on the title track, Pureka observes, “Years, come down, cut like an anchor through the mud and stone, just dragging behind.” She lets loose more fully on the shadowy, intriguing and harder-rocking passage “Silent Movie.” Plus, Oregon songstress Laura Gibson, who cracks open stillness, spilling secrets.

Moroccan Lounge, 901 E. First St., downtown L.A.; Thurs., Oct. 17, 7 p.m.; $20; ages 21 & over. (213) 395-0610, www.themoroccan.com.

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