The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: A band of friends on an adventure

Taking cues from bands like Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine, and other late-’80s/early-’90s shoegaze bands, New York City-based The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart plays ethereal, fuzz-laden rock 'n' roll with heart to spare. The quartet’s earnest songs have already found it a niche in its native city and online, with this year’s self-titled LP and a trio of subsequent singles receiving positive reviews. The band will continue spreading the word across the country this fall as it embarks on a U.S. tour with Cymbals Eat Guitars and The Depreciation Guild, including tonight's show at the Orpheum Stage Door. Before embarking on the tour, which is in support of the band’s upcoming Higher Than The Stars EP, lead singer/guitarist Kip Berman sat down with The A.V. Club to discuss the band’s painfully long moniker, the lo-fi movement, and ripping off his favorite bands.

The A.V. Club: Do you ever catch any shit for having such a long name?

Kip Berman: Some people like it, some don’t. To us, it’s very fitting for the music and values we stand for. ... The name was taken from a children’s story written by a friend of mine in Portland. The moral of the story is that the time you have and adventures you have when you are young are more important than worldly accomplishments or fame. It’s fitting for us, because our band is all friends and this has been a fun adventure for us.

AVC: How did you hook up with Slumberland Records?

KB: We were fans of Slumberland Records growing up. They have an amazing history, and we loved the bands on there. As it turns out, we opened for another Slumberland band called The Lodger, and Mike from Slumberland Records saw us. He might have been wasted, but he was really excited to work with us. [Laughs.] It’s a huge thrill for us, as we love the label’s history and current lineup of bands like Crystal Stilts and Cause Co-Motion. The label stays current and is putting out vital music that we are fans of.

AVC: Do you find yourself at home with those bands?

KB: Since we rip off most of those bands, yes. [Laughs.] Slumberland Records shaped what we sound like. We don’t sound exactly like Black Tambourine, but so many of those bands shaped our sound. It makes a lot of sense for us.

AVC: What do you think of the lo-fi movement, especially with bands in NYC?

KB: I think it’s great. First and foremost we are all huge music fans, and we are at shows all the time. We are fans of so many of these bands, like Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, and Blank Dogs. There is a lot of interesting music coming out of New York, from labels like What’s Your Rupture and Captured Tracks. It’s also so diverse in New York. There are so many kinds of sounds that even though lo-fi bands get a lot of attention right now, there are many others, like My Teenage Stride, that have much more elaborate arrangements than lo-fi bands. Grizzly Bear and MGMT are two of the most popular bands in the city and they don’t fit in with that scene. It’s hard to think of NYC as having any one scene, and it benefits from the diversity.

AVC: Is that why you stayed away from recording your record in a garage somewhere?

KB: It was recorded in a basement, not a garage, so I guess that’s a fidelity update right there.

AVC: Is “This Love Is Fucking Right!” a reference to The Field Mice song “This Love Is Not Wrong,” or a tongue-in-cheek dig at shoegaze?

KB: It was one of first songs we wrote. We are fans of The Field Mice, and the sentiment of “This Love Is Not Wrong” is sweet, but for us, we wanted to say something emphatically, to put some exclamation points behind it. It wasn’t a joke, but a play on the idea of indie pop using shyness and double negatives.

AVC: Are there any other bands you shout out?

KB: Velocity Girl is one. Our song “Stay Alive” used to be called “Velocity Girl” because it sounded just like the song “My Forgotten Favorite” from the Clueless soundtrack. We give lyrical or slight musical nods to other bands we’ve loved. We don’t think it's anti-creative, though; we’re just citing our sources. We are always happy to give credit when credit is due. We didn’t invent the wheel but we like using it.

AVC: Were these the types of records that inspired you to form the band?

KB: Yes, but also Alex [Naidus, bass] and I love the Portland punk-pop band The Exploding Hearts, who were just so amazing. They had this bubblegum pop thing going, but it was so high-energy. That record [Guitar Romantic] is so good; we are such a fan of that sound. I also really like early My Bloody Valentine stuff, like “Paint A Rainbow,” where the songs are so fast that they sound like they are going to go off the tracks.

AVC: What else does the band do besides play music? Is the band it for you guys right now?

KB: We’re kind of in a weird spot right now because we’ve been on tour since the album came out in February. Alex and Peggy [Wang, keyboards] have jobs that must be at wits' end with them by now, but they have been generous at giving time off for touring. I’m unemployed and so is Kurt [Feldman, drums]. It’s hard to walk into job to say, “I want this job, but can I have the next four to six months off?” For right now, the band is my whole life, which is cool. If I could have it any way, it would be this way. We don’t take this for granted and we are really grateful. I’ve been in bands for 10 years before this and have hardly played outside of the city I’ve been in at the time.

AVC: What is next for the band? Are you recording again soon?

KB: We have an EP coming out in September that will have four songs we did in the Spring before the tour. It’s all fresh music and it’s called Higher Than The Stars. We will be touring up until Christmas, and when we get back we will work on songs and put together the next record.

AVC: Will anything be different this time around?

KB: Our first record was done—not haphazardly, but recorded random nights of the week when we were available. This one will be what we liked and what we want to improve upon from our first record. It’s learning by going along. There’s a lot more stuff we can do next time around. Or we can make an album that totally sucks. You never know. [Laughs.]