Taking their name from a friend’s story; Brooklyn’s The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are wistful, lyrical storytellers with an ear for distorted but melodic indie-pop. The British popular press and fanzines alike have been full of high praise for their eponymous debut album. Singer Kip Berman and Keyboardist / Singer Peggy Wang kindly took time out from their current UK tour to answer our questions via email.
KV:How did the band start, and had you played in bands before?
Kip: We were all friends, and formed to play at Peggy’s birthday party. Kurt’s the most accomplished musically, playing in The Depreciation Guild and Zaza in addition to drumming for us. Peggy used to play in a band called The Metric Mile, that recently put out a wonderful 7″ and I played in a band in Portland, OR that never really played a show outside of Portland…
Peggy: I met Kip through a mutual friend and we bonded over music, going to see shows together. When I joined the Pains, I was already in another band called the Metric Mile. I’ve been in bands since the 8th [first year at high school-KV] grade. This is probably the sixth band I’ve been in.
KV:You’ve drawn a lot of comparisons to British (and Glaswegian in particular) indie bands like The Pastels, Camera Obscura, The Vaselines et al. Are you quite anglophile in your tastes and influences?
Kip: Actually, we grew up listening to more American stuff, like Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and post-hardcore/punk bands. We grew up in the suburbs, so we just sort of were open to anything, and for some reason the music from Glasgow, like Teenage Fanclub and The Pastels just seemed to strike a chord with me.
Peggy: I like a lot of British bands, and I was into a lot of American indie growing up as well. But there are other countries that make good music too! Like New Zealand. I love the Clean, and the Bats, and a newer band called Surf City.
KV: There is a lot of buzz around your debut album, are you ready for bigger crowds and festival appearances that beckon this summer?
Kip: We’re cool with whatever.
Peggy: I’m excited but nervous. We’ve been touring and playing more shows now, so I feel like I’m getting more comfortable with being on stage.
KV: Brooklyn seems a very fertile place for music in the last few years; is it good to be part of a creative community or do you think location is incidental what you do?
Kip: There is cool music being made lots of places, not just Brooklyn. I’m not sure what it means as a band, but as a music fan, it’s really cool to live close to so many great bands that i love going to see live. Whether it’s caUSE co-MOTION, Chairlift, Crystal Stilts or any number of other bands, it’s a great place to live and a really fun to be a part of.
Peggy: Living in a big city helps you find the right people to be in a band with. And I love that all of my friends are in bands, bands that are actually awesome, and that there’s always a show to go to.
KV: Troublesome love, friendships and longing seem to be recurring themes; do you include stories from your collective past or do you combine them with imaginary characters?
Kip: It’s all pretty real. Perhaps we’re not that imaginative, but it just seems like it’s easiest to write about stuff that’s happened to us.
KV: Your name comes from a friend’s book that wasn’t published; I think it’s interesting when one art form influences another. Are you influenced by films and books as well as music?
Kip: I guess that sounds pretentious to say, but we’re influenced by all the stuff that happens to us that we’ve experienced. Music, Movies and books are a big influence, but so are just the day- to -day things that happen to you growing up. It’s not like we’re “Consciously” influenced by “art” any more than we are by hanging out.
Peggy: Recently I got really into that show Friday Night Lights, and I was joking that that show should be called The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Because all the characters are fundamentally good people put in really heartbreaking situations.
KV: It’s good to see bands who excite music fans as well as the more mainstream press; is there anyone that you have seen recently that you think deserve more attention?
Kip: There are so many bands that deserve acclaim that don’t get it– we’ve recently toured with both The Depreciation Guild and Zaza, who are really incredible.
Peggy: The last band I really tried to go see, but couldn’t because we were touring, is this band from Ireland called So Cow.
KV: Apart from the obvious things like hanging out as friends and playing music together: what have been the highlights of being in the band so far?
Kip: I feel like you’ve already named it– hanging out together and playing music is about the best, most cool thing to do. Traveling and meeting new people is really fun too.
Peggy: I guess it’s just really cool that people care about what we do. We’ve met so many awesome people through being in a band, from those who come to our shows, to people who interview us, to the people we work with. I also enjoy any opportunities we get to DJ or make mix tapes and playlists.
KV: And finally, what are you most looking forward to for the rest of 2009?
Peggy: I’m excited for the sixth season of Peep Show [That’s understandable, so are we-KV]
Kip: We’re really excited about the 7″ singles we’re releasing this summer. The first should be out around July, while the second should come out in September.
The band’s debut album and follow up single ‘Young Adult Friction’ is out now on Fortuna Pop. The tour wraps up at the Isle of Wight festival in June.