Slumberland US Vinilo y CD

Review: Dream pop loving indie rockers The Pains of Being Pure at Heart announced their reformation last year, having previously called it a day at the end of 2019. While we wait for new music, former label Slumberland Records - the imprint that first pushed the New York combo into the international spotlight - has offered up this slender retrospective focusing on the band's formative years at the tail end of the noughties. Atmospheric, with a uniformly 'big' (if lo-fi) sound (they loved reverb back then), the collected cuts sound like they were recorded at the turn of the nineties rather than at the end of the noughties. Highlights are plentiful though, with our picks including jangly anthem 'Side Ponytail', the brilliantly titled 'Kurt Cobain's Cargidan' and the effortlessly upbeat and life-affirming swell of 'Higher Than The Stars'.

Review: Suave timing for this release as The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, who had been roughly five years disbanded, are back out on the road in 2025 touring Europe. The Brooklyn band, who are fronted by founder Kip Berman, are best known for their 2009 self-titled debut and a lot of their other best songs were scattered. To condense the companion material from that era into one place gives listeners the opportunity to further understand what a richly creative time it was for the indie group. Of the highlights, here 'Kurt Cobain's Cardigan' from their 'Higher Up The Stairs' EP is a snappy number up there with the very best of jangle pop greats. And 'Say No To Love', which was available on 7", is surely going to be a staple in their upcoming live shows and what better way to refamiliarise with it than having it on rotation here next to some belters.

Review: This noise pop group's impeccable debut album is being re-released as part of its 15th anniversary celebrations. The Kip Berman-led band burst out of the 00s Brooklyn indie scene and onto global cult success when it was released thanks to their idiosyncratic style and nods to the likes of pre-Creation My Bloody Valentine, The Pastels and Black Tambourine. The record shows an aesthete's ear for producing stylish guitar tones and drum sounds as they conjure a dreamy, atmospheric wall of sound, which strikes the right balance between shoegaze and jangle pop. With music as taut, melodic and viscerally enveloping as this, it's no wonder Berman's life changed irrevocably after its release. Rarely do debut albums gain this level of acclaim and honouring it with an anniversary edition and tour is the righteous thing to do.