Sketchyyyy Tunes: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

As a band that's only existed for little more than over a year, New York four-piece The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have been busy winning the hearts of music critics everywhere with their cheery brand of shoegaze, dream-pop.


(white fender jag, a Belle & Sebastian t-shirt, Asian keyboardist trying to peek through her bangs....when did my wet dreams start materializing?)

Sure there is definitely a good deal of My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain here constituting for the fuzzy distortion and soft, distant vocals that cue a sense of familiarity but there are elements here that outshine the C86 influence. The nail-gun rapid fire of the snare drum in "Doing All the Things That Wouldn't Make Your Parent's Proud" sets the backdrop for jangling guitars that persistently chug along at a Ramones-esque pace while well placed keys sparkle from verse to verse. Contender for the best song name I've heard in years, "This Love Is Fucking Right!", which oddly resembles Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!'s "In This Home On Ice", twitters its way through fields of gold as breathy vocals deliver a pearl of an indie-pop melody.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart create music exuding the innocence of youth and conjures images of a lovestruck couple running hand-in-hand towards a sunlit horizon. With tunes that rival the ever-so-sleek cheekiness of Belle & Sebastian, it won't be long until the Twee set discover their new favorite band. Prepare yourself for sloppy make outs in the back of Cake Shop.



listen to The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Side Note: Speaking of which, these guys also get major kudos for repping the shit out of Cake Shop on their website and myspace. They'll be playing there on June 26th...to quote Jerry McGuire, "who's coming with me??!!!"


Sketchy Rating: WARNING - exposure to this band while in the company of the opposite sex may result in in sloppy make outs, petting, and/or pregnancy.