

This Brooklyn band plays on all the classic hallmarks of a first infatuation. Their squeaky-clean pop songs ooze with the innocence of puppy love, but, like any introspective suitor, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart are much deeper and more complex than they let on. Led by Kip Berman, the band skillfully hops between New Wave's melodramatic romance, The Vaselines' fuzzy indie pop, '90s shoegaze and Smashing Pumpkins at their most wistful, before wrapping it all up in cuddly harmonies.