That’s it, I’m convinced—Split Works are on a mission to reduce us all to a quivering mass of high school nostalgia and emo angst. At least that’s what I thought when I heard that their upcoming Death Cab show was to be preceded on February 25 by Brooklyn’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (henceforth Pains). Though I personally did not spend my high school years listening to them on repeat while journaling about Oscar Wilde (the band started only two years ago), their debut aptly captures the spirit of the early 00’s emo craze, complete with heartfelt lyrics, vulnerable tenor vocals and lots of sweet cardigans. Oh yes—and that name.

This of course is an oversimplification of what Pains does musically—but don’t I have a right to my nostalgia? According to keyboard and vocalist Peggy Wang, however, Pains isn’t so much a throwback to nerdy high school days as it is an honest depiction of everyone’s inner lives: “I don’t necessarily think adolescent feelings are purely adolescent,” she says. “I still think feelings of insecurity, self-consciousness, obsession are things that stay with you for a long time.” Oh. Awesome.

But if you can get past the whole angsty adolescent aesthetic, you’ll realize that POBPAH are special for a simpler reason—because they do pop music really, really well. Their self-titled debut stacks up ten melodious, harmony-rent tracks that recall with tightly crafted precision the punk-inspired beats of early emo acts and the glossy melancholy pop of late-80s bands like The Smiths.

Which is why it was so surprising when Pains released their second full-length album Belong last year, and listeners found themselves transported back to the guitar-heavy, grunge-infused sound of ’90s alternative rock acts like Smashing Pumpkins.

Pains worked with legendary ’90s alt-rock producers Flood and Alan Moulder, who delivered a power punch to the band’s tuneful melodies and irresistible harmonies, reframing them within dramatic dynamics and punchy riffs. They sound, in other words, like a great ’90s alt-rock band.

But that doesn’t mean Pains are going to go all apathetic grunge rocker on us. The band has maintained the same pure-of-heart attitude that listeners loved in the first place. “When I was 17, I probably would have been a lot more excited about life if I had known that one day I was going to be in a band that toured the world, playing the kind of music that I grew up loving,” Wang says earnestly. “When I think about that, I have to appreciate what we have and how special this time in my life is.”

SHOW DETAILS:

Venue:Yugong Yishan
Time: 9pm
Price: RMB150 (door)

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