Last week NYC indie troupe The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart finished off their UK tour, with a sold out show at London’s Kings College. The five piece debuted tracks off their forthcoming long player ‘Belong’, released 29th March through Slumberland Records. Citing UK bands such as The Pastels and Teenage Fanclub as huge influences, Pains’ jangly indie pop has naturally earned them a strong fanbase in the UK. Thankfully the tracks aired tonight from ‘Belong’ do not stray too far from their previous blueprint; however it seems Pains have grown slightly fonder of their distortion pedals.
This can undoubtedly be attributed to the influence of legendary producers Flood and Alan Moulder – the men behind Smashing Pumpkins ‘Siamese Dream’- who took on production duties for their second album. However don’t take this as a sign of a band that has jumped the shark. From the strength of tonight’s performance, the newer songs retain all the charm present from their self titled debut. Since a lot of fans haven’t yet had the chance to check out the new record, the loudest applause was saved for the likes of ‘Young Adult Friction’; but the newer tracks certainly made an impression.
The band are about to embark on a huge US tour, including dates at SXSW and Coachella. For more details, head to their Facebook page. Check out our exclusive pictures from the show below.
Last year, the debut album by New Yorkers The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart earned a well-deserved place in the record collection of many indie followers, thanks to their impeccable sonic revision of the C-86 UK bands from the eighties. The four-piece band has kept busy. Earlier this year they gave us ‘Higher Than The Stars’, an EP worth of new material that included a much talked about remix of the title track made by St. Etienne. The video for the original has just been released –click the link above to watch now.
As a taste of things to come, The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart have readied a new single with ‘Say No To Love’ in the A-side,backed by ‘Lost Saint’. Both tracks keep that anglophile vibe that has made them popular. The single will be released on July the 29th, but for those who can’t wait both tracks are available for free download below:
It’s already been quite a year for the four men from Staten Island who make up Cymbals Eat Guitars. After earning glowing praise from the likes of Pitchfork and NME and touring with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the band have now announced they’re debut album, ‘Why There Are Mountains’, will be getting a UK release through Memphis Industries. If that wasn’t enough, the band were personally asked by The Flaming Lips to support them for two London shows at The Troxy.
While this rise may urk many a struggling musician, the attention Cymbals Eat Guitars are recieving is more than justified. Their lush melodic indie, recalling Pavement and Modest Mouse, is sure to continue to win over new fans throughout 2009. The band are currently on tour in the US; for more tracks and tour dates check their Myspace.
