photo by Renata Steiner
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart burst onto the scene in 2009 with a self-titled debut that was part jangly shoegaze homage, part twee pop sensation, and all passion. The softspoken quintet craft catchy, nostalgic songs that fuse the finest influences from The Smiths to My Bloody Valentine, and their 2011 sophomore album Belong is no different. The band reaps naught but benefits from producer Flood and mixer Alan Moulder, who amp up the production value and beef up the sound without losing any of the Pains’ lo-fi charm. Now, if you’ve not yet had the fortune to catch these young talents live, you can live vicariously through their set live at KEXP’s own studio. Experience it now:
