Pains Of Being Pure At Heart S/T PINK CS (2021)

Details: Lost Sound Tapes issue of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart 2009 self-titled album pressed in a bubblegum pink cassette shell, released in August/September 2021. Limited edition of 100—first time on cassette! Hand-stamped labels and a double sided j-card. Comes with a Bandcamp d/l card.

Description: A description from Slumberland Records on the album's initial release: "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 the 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.”

Grade: M (New Stock)

TRACK LISTING SIDE A:

A1. Contender
A2. Come Saturday 
A3. Young Adult Friction 
A4. This Love Is Fucking Right
A5. The Tenure Itch

TRACK LISTING SIDE B:

B1. Stay Alive
B2. Everything With You
B3. A Teenager In Love
B4. Hey Paul
B5. Gentle Suns