MarketThe Pains of Being Pure at Heart (album)
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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (album)

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is the debut studio album by American indie pop band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. It was released on February 3, 2009, by Slumberland Records. The band recorded the album at Honeyland Studios in Brooklyn. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart was released to generally warm critical reception.

Music
The album's sound has been compared to My Bloody Valentine, Ride, The Field Mice, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. ==Artwork and title==
Artwork and title
The album's cover artwork features a shot of two teenagers in black and white effect. According to Berman, the teenagers are from Arizona, one of them being the photographer herself named Kendra Rutledge. Her work is also featured as the cover artwork of the band's Higher Than the Stars EP. As for the title, it was originally intended to be called "Romantic Friendship". Berman thought that "a lot of our songs were kinda about that idea: the way you have intense relationships when you’re growing up that aren't necessarily romantic, but also aren't necessarily not. I always think that [the album artwork] suggests that [idea]." Eventually, they settled on the band's own name as the title, as "it would have been way too ridiculous" for the band to use such a name, although Berman admitted he still liked it in a 2025 interview. ==Release and promotion==
Release and promotion
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart was released in the United States on February 3, 2009, by Slumberland Records. In other territories, the album was released by different labels, including Fortuna Pop! in Europe, Lost & Lonesome Recording Co. in Australia, and Fastcut Records in Japan. "Young Adult Friction" on March 31, 2009, and "Come Saturday" on September 8, 2009. ==Critical reception==
Critical reception
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregation website Metacritic, the album holds a score of 76 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Pitchfork ranked The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at number 19 on its list of the best albums of 2009, while "Young Adult Friction" placed at number 30 on the website's list of the best tracks of the year. In 2018, Pitchfork listed The Pains of Being Pure at Heart as the 28th best dream pop album. ==Track listing==
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart • Kip Berman – guitar, vocals • Kurt Feldman – drums • Alex Naidus – bass • Peggy Wang – keyboards, vocals Production • Jon Chaikin – mastering • Archie Moore – engineering, mixing Design • Pavla Kopecna – inside photography (CD edition), back cover photography (LP edition) • Kendra Rutledge – front cover photography ==Charts==
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