Album Reviews

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart isn’t exactly a band name that appeals to the imagination. Expecting to hear the latest offspring that came from emo cum and a poppunk seed, I popped in this self-titled album very hesitantly only to be pleasantly surprised.

This outfits seems to be raised on a strict diet of My Bloody Valentine and Jesus And Mary Chain… pure pop bliss wrapped in fuzzy guitars. A girl called Peggy Wang-East drops in with the occasional keyboard passage and backup vocals that wrap themselves gently around Kip Berman’s vocal chords. That same Berman does an excellent job of sounding distant while moping like an old man and citing lyrics that seem charming at first until you notice they come with a dark edge. Just have listen to “Come Saturday” en “This Love Is Fucking Right” and be charmed by everything The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart do. They’re so much more than a MBV tribute band and even leave other revivalists like Crystal Stilts and Vivian Girls far behind them.