The Pains of Being Pure at Heart burst onto the scene a couple of years ago with some insanely catchy and hooky grungy power-pop songs that featured strong influences from shoegazer bands and new wave bands but with some sensible rocking involved as well. They released a self-titled debut album in 2009 that had some great songs and some great hooks, but sounded a little thin in the production area and didn’t quite bring the oomph that you got from these guys in a live arena. The album became kind of a nice collection of songs that provided the material for a great live set, but on this new album, Belong, the band has managed to really put some stronger production and a more even-handed approach to the songs which results in a really strong album overall.
While the songs here may not be quite as memorable as the songs on their debut, the songs here are incredibly strong and they definitely have become more polished as a result of the additional attention in the studio. It really allows the songs to shine a bit more and the listener doesn’t have to quite play as much hide and seek with them. The sound for the band in general is largely unchanged, although there is probably less of a focus on the keyboard and more on a guitar rock sound here, which is also beneficial for the band as that is where they tend to shine in a live setting as well. There is still a nice layering of all of the elements here though, as they have not gone completely guitar heavy fortunately.
In terms of the songs themselves if you liked the first record, you will like what they have to offer here. The subject matters and lyrics are for the most part pretty consistent thematically and stylistically with what they had done before, they just feel a little more sure of themselves and a little more full-bodied this time around. Some of the strongest tracks on the album include the two previously released ‘singles’ with the title track ‘Belong’ and ‘Heart In Your Heartbreak’, but other standouts manage to shine on here as well with more focused, energetic rockers ‘Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now’ and ‘Even In Dreams’.
This is a band that really does one type of music and does it very well. They really have a great ability to build out these great hooks and melodies out of some incredibly strong 90s alternative rock influences. They stay very true to the source material, but also manage to really create some great songs that are all their own along the way, and with the more assured and fuller sound they exhibit on this record, it is really showcased moreso. If you want an album with some great hooks that isn’t too heady and is really a fun listen, it is hard to go wrong with the shimmering, fuzzy guitar rock from these guys on this sophomore effort. Whereas their debut was a flash of what they could do, this is a sturdier and more strongly built album that delivers a bit more.
“Heart In Your Heartbreak” by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart from Belong
“Heavens Gonna Happen Now” by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart from Belong
“Even In Dreams” by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart from Belong
