-
8.0
65611
8.0 |
Under The Radar
This latest record features yet another evolution for the band, with new members and a slightly different vibe, but is once again centered by Berman's infectious pop songcraft
Read Review
-
8.0
65613
8.0 |
Exclaim
There is still a childlike quality of Berman's voice that now almost contradicts itself; it's so sure and confident in its own timidity
Read Review
-
8.0
65615
8.0 |
The 405
Lunges confidently into all the right places, emitting sunshine, glee, rainbows, sugar and sparkles as it goes like a sweaty unicorn running a marathon
Read Review
-
8.0
65660
8.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Indie pop at its most sparkling
Read Review
-
8.0
65947
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Less indebted to its influences than the band’s previous two albums, Days of Abandon is packed with anthemic indie snaps, smooth shoegaze crackles and hooks that are pure pop
Read Review
-
8.0
66300
8.0 |
DIY
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but they’ve never had to - this is another record that has seemingly come to them as effortlessly as ever
Read Review
-
8.0
66317
8.0 |
NME
Expansive, immersive indiepop; how these Pains have grown
Read Review
-
8.0
66676
8.0 |
Clash
This is power pop at its purest
Read Review
-
7.5
65679
7.5 |
Pitchfork
As good as Abandon is, one can't help but think the more he goes through, the richer and more resonant his music will become
Read Review
-
7.5
65612
7.5 |
Pretty Much Amazing
This is the third Pains record in a row that has enough memorable songs to play almost like a career-spanning Best Of collection
Read Review
-
7.0
65846
7.0 |
Spin
In dialing down the pomp of Belong and the fuzz of their debut, the Pains discover something that transcends mere buzz: an ageless indie pop sound that could last them for years to come
Read Review
-
7.0
66094
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Arguably it's the most revealing album to wear The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart's name on its sleeve; Days Of Abandon also represents its creators' most ambitious body of work to date
Read Review
-
6.7
65616
6.7 |
Consequence Of Sound
It’s not particularly ambitious, but it’s incredibly pleasant, and you’ve got to hand it to a guy who can keep a smile up even as he’s skipping through his melancholy
Read Review
-
6.5
65617
6.5 |
Paste Magazine
Perhaps the most sophisticated sound the Pains of Being Pure at Heart has yet achieved
Read Review
-
6.0
65610
6.0 |
PopMatters
Even as Berman has broadened his palette and expanded his range of possibilities, his musical vocabulary seems more borrowed and derivative than before
Read Review
-
6.0
66190
6.0 |
The Guardian
Without the band and a blanket of noise, Pains' feyness is exposed in all its nakedness. It's sweet, but after a few listens, a little too limp
Read Review
-
6.0
66041
6.0 |
Mojo
Just the ticket for shiny, happy people. Print edition only
-
6.0
66521
6.0 |
Time Out
More than ever, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are the Marmite of indie-pop – only much, much sweeter
Read Review
-
5.0
65618
5.0 |
A.V. Club
The gentler ambiance and oh-so-precious presentation just don’t make up for the lackluster song-craft, and there’s little other innovation at play to save it all from being an unremarkable bore
Read Review
-
3.7
65614
3.7 |
Earbuddy
The raw muscle that guarded the lyrics on Belong has been completely removed, and it’s apparent from the get-go. What’s left is a very vulnerable, very precious cargo that’s really well put together but too delicate for its own good
Read Review
-
2.0
66139
2.0 |
The Quietus
This is not the voice of a rock & roll singer though. It is the final puff of air escaping from a deflated air-bed
Read Review
-