Singles

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Come Saturday

Miss Fliss 15/09/2008

Rating: 4/5

A superblast of mighty guitar pop. Resisting mention of C86 is futile. It's only the sheen of the production that lends Come Saturday a newish air, since the lilting bass, crunching indie guitars, gentle male vocals full of melodic glee, and chime of cute winsome 'ooh ooh ooh's are straight from the mid 80s glory days. With Jesus and Mary Chain fuzz, Wedding Present-frenzied drums, and My Bloody Valentine dreamy vox, this single brings the past faithfully to a new generation.

With London clubs such as Twee as F*ck and How Does it Feel To be Loved relighting the 80s indie flame and labels like Fortuna Pop carrying the baton, the timing is ripe for bands to dip into a full blown revival of that low key genre once clutched to the hearts of the lonely few, the uncool and gawky cardigan-wearing, bespectacled bedroom indie kids. It seems completely at odds that dressing like a librarian and listening to twee songs about being a sensitive loser has somehow become a badge of fashion and cool, but that's revivals and the romance of the past for you.

No matter. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are far removed from the superficial aspects. They are a mega force live and go beyond the level of twee and rip-off retro, being staggering musical talents first and foremost. They'll be touring with The Wedding Present before Christmas, and I can see the two bands complementing each other to perfection. This single isn't representative of The Pains output overall, since they create different little worlds for each and every song, no sound is the same - from dancey twinkling keybaord numbers to pile-driving guitar heavy efforts, to genuine pop thrills. I can't recommend this band enough.

Come Saturday is released on 15th September, 2008.

http://www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart.