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9.0
24530
9.0 |
AU Review
A blast of pure alt-pop excellence from a band moving effortlessly in the right direction
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8.3
24232
8.3 |
A.V. Club
Shows ambition, with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart clearly aiming for something bigger—a bigger sound, maybe a bigger audience
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8.2
24384
8.2 |
Pitchfork
Transcends its time-coded sound as expertly as their self-titled did
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8.0
24995
8.0 |
Beats Per Minute
There’s just something special about the progression of their songwriting and pop instrumentation
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8.0
25644
8.0 |
Blurt
The Pains get darker and bolder due to gloomy super-producers Flood and Alan Moulder, the cats behind Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode without losing sense of their contagiousness
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8.0
25820
8.0 |
Rave Magazine
While not quite as good as the debut, Belong once again invokes those feelings of youth that old bastards like myself continue to yearn for
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8.0
26559
8.0 |
No Ripcord
Big, bombastic, excited — this is a band that has hit a rich vein of form, and when everything comes together properly, it’s stellar
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8.0
23121
8.0 |
Spin
For Belong, they step up in class with producers Flood and Alan Moulder, who have overseen alt-classics from Depeche Mode's Violator to PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love
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8.0
23827
8.0 |
BBC
Has the consistency to keep you interested after track number four due to the quality of songwriting, if not the variation in sound
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8.0
23896
8.0 |
Eye Weekly
Perfect for those who always wanted to dance to My Bloody Valentine but couldn’t get past the noise
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8.0
24026
8.0 |
Mojo
An album that stands up to the touchstone indie classics it references. Print edition only
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8.0
24061
8.0 |
The Fly
To say it’s derivative is to miss the whole point of this fantastic-and-improving band - they’re doing it better than anyone else at the moment
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8.0
24122
8.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
They definitely sound like more of a band now, merging their despairing lyrics and indie pop demeanor with an alternative grunge that’s certainly worthy of praise
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8.0
24173
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
Showcases a young band operating at an impressive level of cohesion and consistency, knocking out hook after sugary hook with a sticking rate that would be commendable for a band with twice their songwriting experience
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8.0
24181
8.0 |
PopMatters
A giddy swoon of swirling guitars and big, bold choruses
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8.0
24207
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
Belong gives the impression that a brighter, cleaner sound suits the band much better
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7.0
24218
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Its sound is now massive enough to match its big-hearted emotion
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7.0
24191
7.0 |
Clash
‘Loveless’-era MBV meets classic Cure at their poppiest
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7.0
23127
7.0 |
Subba Cultcha
The songs are well written, well conceived and flawlessly produced but lack a little excitement
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7.0
24595
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
[The band] revel in the surface charm rather than poke beneath the sheen
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7.0
24132
7.0 |
Bowlegs
Despite its flaws, this is a record that will bring the sunshine to you, even when its honest heart is broken into little pieces
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6.0
24238
6.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
Bands don't often clean up so nicely, especially not without losing some ineffable quality, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart deserve to be appreciated for that
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6.0
24266
6.0 |
Prefix
The album's lows remain limp and strangely clinical, making its true promise all the more disappointing
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6.0
25013
6.0 |
State
Feels like the glitter of the production is there to disguise the mediocrity of too many of these tunes
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6.0
25079
6.0 |
Under The Radar
Marks a departure from the softer side of Pains of Being heard on their self-titled debut
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6.0
25139
6.0 |
God Is In The TV
The guitars crunch harder, the melodies ring brighter
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6.0
23964
6.0 |
The Irish Times
It’s been done many times before, but when guitar-driven indie-pop is this good it’d be a sin to deny the pleasures
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6.0
23976
6.0 |
The Guardian
The title track is a valiant attempt at recreating My Bloody Valentine's eureka moment, when four-chord thrash suddenly became something odder and more interesting
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6.0
24127
6.0 |
The Observer
U2 and Nine Inch Nails producer Flood directs proceedings and the grungier guitars of the title track take their cue from Smashing Pumpkins' more blissed-out moments
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4.0
24065
4.0 |
The Digital Fix
'Band in indifferent second album shocker'. Why should we be surprised? Happens all the time
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4.0
24002
4.0 |
Q
Sounds more like early '90s pastiche than standing on the shoulders of power-pop giants. Print edition only
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3.0
23856
3.0 |
NME
You deserve better than this smug and joyless (acccidental) masterclass in all that is so frequently terrible about indie
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