The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen

On September 3, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart bring their nostalgic indie pop to Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen

When The Pains of Being Pure at Heart first appeared in the late 2000s, they were one of several bands who owed a clear debt to the jangly, heart-on-their-sleeve sound of late 1980s indie pop, epitomized by bands like the Field Mice. The risk they ran, then, was of sounding like little more than twee revivalists. In truth, it was a risk which they were not entirely successful in avoiding, but this mattered little when they were able to write pop songs as compellingly melodic and well-crafted as ‘Young Adult Friction.'

On their second album, Belong , they expanded their sound. The fuzzier textures of their first album were replaced by a sound which approached the more anthemic shoegaze of bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain. Again, the album’s appeal did not lie so much in its originality as in the quality of its song-writing, and in the gentle melancholy of their lyrics. Now, the band have returned with a third full-length LP, Days of Abandon ; whilst much of the fuzz is gone, the delicate melodies and wide-eyed lyricism remain.

The band’s performance at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen promises to be a showcase of bitter-sweet, meticulously-crafted indie pop. Don’t forget your cardigan.