MP3: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – “Young Adult Friction”
Since forming in early 2007, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart have become one of the most talked about pop bands in years. Their distinctive brand of noisy pop is a tidy distillation of all the great noise-pop precedents – early MBV, House of Love, Pale Saints, Rocketship – but with that incredible exuberance and energy that the Pains bring to every song. They have released a handful of singles on classy labels like Slumberland, Fortuna Pop!, Atomic Beat and Cloudberry, each one issued to greater anticipation and even wilder reception. Critical acclaim has come from such varied quarters as Stereogum, Fader, Big Takeover, Indie Pages, Skatterbrain, Drowned In Sound, Indie-MP3, Clash Magazine and uncountable others.
Following up the band’s ace “Everything With You” single and whirlwind Swedish tour, we are delighted to bring you their self-titled debut album. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart is an instant classic, packed with brilliantly-executed pop gems that blend the rush of youthful enthusiasm with crafty arrangements, well-honed tunes and buckets of guitar racket. Drawing on the sparkling legacy of the best of 80s and 90s pop, POBPAH update the timeless noisy pop template with a thoroughly modern viewpoint and a very distinctive, playful personality. There is something instantly identifiable about a Pains tune, and it is the essential “rightness” of their records that has captured the attention of pop fans around the world and raised anticipation levels for this album to a near-fever pitch.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart delivers on this promise with perfect assurance. Smashing tunes like “Come Saturday” and “Young Adult Friction” are classic three minute masterpieces that simply beg to be played on repeat. “Stay Alive” and “Gentle Sons” show the band can slow it down and still rock it, and “Hey Paul” is as brash a slice of noise-blast guitar pop as you’ll hear all year. Weighing in at a flawlessly-conceived ten songs, this is all the album that Pains fans had hoped for. Handily transcending easy pigeonholes like “indie pop” and “indie rock,” it is just a great album that shows a smart young band fulfilling their potential and crafting a very convincing statement of purpose.
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART
Jun 18 2009 Cake Shop New York, New York #
July 10 2009 South Street Seaport New York, New York % (FREE)
July 18 2009 Pitchfork Fest Chicago, Illinois
July 20 2009 The Echo Los Angeles, California *
July 21 2009 The Rickshaw Stop San Fransisco, California *
July 23 2009 Backspace Portland, Oregon *
July 24 2009 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC *
July 25 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party Seattle, Washington
Sep 05 2009 Middle East Downstairs, Boston, Massachusetts &+
Sep 06 2009 La Sala Rossa Montreal, Quebec &+
Sep 07 2009 Horeshoe Tavern Toronto, Ontario &+
Sep 08 2009 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois &+
Sep 09 2009 Stage Door at the Orpheum Madison, Wisconsin &+
Sep 10 2009 The Slowdown Omaha, Nebraska &+
Sep 12 2009 Monolith Festival Morrison, Colorado
Sep 13 2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah &+
Sep 14 2009 Neurolux Boise, Idaho &+
Sep 17 2009 MFNW / Doug Fir Portland, Oregon &+
Sep 21 2009 Casbah San Diego, California &+
Sep 22 2009 Club Congress Tucson, Arizona &+
Sep 24 2009 Lola’s Fort Worth, Texas &+
Sep 25 2009 The Mohawk Austin, Texas &+
Sep 26 2009 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, Louisiana &+
Sep 27 2009 Club Downunder Tallahassee, Florida &+
Sep 28 2009 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia &+
Sep 29 2009 Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina &+
Sep 30 2009 Black Cat, Washington DC &+
Oct 01 2009 Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland &+
Oct 05 2009 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania &+
% = w/ Zaza
# = w/ Crystal Stilts
* = w/ Girls
& = w/ The Depreciation Guild
+ = w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
S/T
(Slumberland)
Street date: Feb. 03, 2009
1.Contender
2.Come Saturday
3.Young Adult Friction
4.This Love is Fucking Right!
5.The Tenure Itch
6.Stay Alive
7.Everything With You
8.A Teenager in Love
9.Hey Paul
10.Gentle Sons
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART LINKS:
MySpace – www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart
Band Page – www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com
Press Materials – www.slumberlandrecords.com/press/pobpah/pobpah.html