This Love is Fucking Right! by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart from the self-titled album

This Love Is Fucking Right!

Taken from the single "Sugarcrush."
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/jogru-sugar-itunes

The debut album "Weird Sister" is out now on Slumberland Records (US) & Fortuna Pop! (UK)

LP/CD: smarturl.it/jgws-album
iTunes: smarturl.it/jgws-itunes

Thrilling Cardiff-based noisepop five-piece Joanna Gruesome will be releasing their terrific debut album via Fortuna POP! (Europe) and Slumberland (USA) in September. Brimming with irresistible pop melodies and spiked with dissonant fuzzy jangle, their songs are shot through with loud discordant feedback and super-fast, hardcore punk drumbeats. This album sees their first foray away from recording in a living room to a proper studio under the guidance of producer MJ of the much lauded Hookworms.

Kicking it against sexism and homophobia, nothing is off-limits, drawing inspiration from DIY scenes such as Riot Grrrl/noisepop/C86 /K Records as well as post hardcore like Drive Like Jehu/Converge and the art rock of The Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine, Joanna Gruesome offer a staggeringly diverse album, unexpectedly quiet and surprisingly loud.

Joanna Gruesome comprise Alanna on vocals, Owen on guitar, Max on bass, George on guitar and Dave on drums. They all met in an anger management counseling group. During the course they were told that writing, making music, dancing or painting could relieve tension and help reduce feelings of anger. One initiative involved a project where they were assigned a group to compose and perform a song in front of other members. Initially they found each other infuriating but gradually acknowledged their musical chemistry and decided to continue with the band outside the therapy group.

Most of the album was written during a month long stay in a seedy west Brighton hotel (now closed down) called The Hell House. The residents were pretty strange, kept attempting occult rituals/using Ouija boards etc and many of the songs were written to distract from the weirdness. Heart-wrenching and exhilarating in equal measure, these are not cheerful songs.

Awash with nods to mental illness and the dark recesses of the mind, the record is littered with references to the devil or zombies and allusions to comic books. “Secret Surprise”, in which mental illness takes a physical form and is fought using razor blades. Or "Anti-Parent Cowboy Killers," which is about stealing a scooter and driving it into the ocean when you should be in school LEARNING. Or "Sugarcrush," about spending a summer burning knitwear.

They have built-up a phenomenal live reputation, blending obnoxiously loud guitars and the occasional band uniform, with a high energy performance dispersed with quieter reflection, boy/girl vocals and teenage angst.

“Abrasion, anger, attitude. One guitarist is in the audience, but this isn’t too much of a stretch. There are slower parts where the musicians take a second to breath. There are noisier bits where the musicians take a second to reflect. There are thumpy bits where the musicians take a second to dance and enjoy themselves. Everyone’s smiling. Everyone’s hugging themselves. What a glorious mess of a noise to be a part of. What a glorious sense of community.” Everett True, Collapse Board

"A brilliant band from Cardiff who love their fuzzy melodies and songs dripped in scuzzy reverb." Huw Stephens, Radio One.

Joanna Gruesome - Tugboat (Galaxie 500 cover)

Galaxie 500 - Strange

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction

Twelve songs from some new releases on Wichita.

Best Coast 'Crazy For You'

In Love With Love

A compilation of tracks found on the cutting-room floor(2022-2025)

Aint meant to be - 8_5_22, 2.42 PM

Pulling Our Weight

Not content to rest on the laurels of having one of the best and most talked-about albums of 2009, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart are back with four brand-new songs that do what the band does best – breathe fresh life into indie-pop with their exuberance, charm and of course quality tunes.

“Higher Than The Stars” races along on arpeggiated keyboards and quickly strummed guitars, a perfect pop nugget that could be ripped from Robert Smith's songbook. Its unstoppable energy is pure Pains, though, and we expect to see a lot of ear-to-ear grins when the band busts this one out on tour. “103” has quickly become a favorite of the Pains’ live set and it’s easy to hear why. A fizzing slice of summertime noise-pop with all the melody, fuzz and fun you've come to expect from The Pains and a snazzy little stun-guitar solo to boot.

“Falling Over” has also become a staple of the band's live sets and shows a new side of the band. A brooding synth-led tune that recalls New Optimist touchstones like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, “Falling Over” is as yearning, lovelorn and dreamy as pop gets, and an excellent addition to The Pains' canon. “Twins” turns up the fuzz, a mid-tempo rocker with a sing-along chorus and catchy-as-heck guitar lead as the hook. This is quintessential Pains of Being Pure At Heart -- slot it into a mix tape between Teenage Fanclub and an old Lilys song and you'll be happy as a clam.
Rounding out the EP is an incredible Balearic dub-disco remix from ace UK producers Saint Etienne. Spacey yet totally danceable, the Saint Etienne remix is certain to burn up the dancefloor.

"Higher Than The Stars" is the start of the next chapter for The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and it looks to be just as exciting as the first. Look for the band supporting this EP with a coast-to-coast tour in September.

“What distinguishes POBPAH from the rest of their modern peers is a sense of craft located in the sweet spot between willful amateurism masking incompetence and not gumming things up with bells and whistles.” – Pitchfork (Best New Music)

“...it's much more than the sum of its parts and too effortlessly effervescent to be studied. Pure indie-pop to hold close to your heart.” – NME

“Can we wait for life to save us in the ways that a band like the Pains of Being Pure at Heart are saving indie pop?” – Dusted

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars

Song: Not too soon (1991)
Performers: Throwing Muses

I do not own the rights of this music.

Throwing Muses - Not Too Soon

Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/artist/6HYyeW4R4oZbUvkjG7t3qH

Join me on Patreon! www.patreon.com/owsey

A cover of Sun Kil Moon's "Carry Me, Ohio,"

Painting used: Dan Scurtu - Wuthering Heights

Owsey:
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http://www.twitter.com/owseymusic
http://www.youtube.com/owseymusic
http://www.last.fm/music/Owsey
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http://www.facebook.com/DustinChristensenMusic
https://twitter.com/dustinonline
http://www.dustinchristensen.com/

Lyrics:

A million miles ago you seem 
Star that I just don't see anymore 

Lost on journeys we walked on 
Lost her voice is heard along the way 

Never going by your door 
Never feeling love like that anymore

Heal her soul, carry her, my angel, Ohio

Sorry that 
I could never love you back 
I could never care enough 
In these last days 

Her tears 
Fell on her pages found me out 
On her words I don't know what 
To do or say 

Wading through 
Warm canals and pools clear blue
The Tuscarawas flows into 
Prairie land 

Riding back 
To where the highway met 
Dead end tracks 
The ground is now cement and glass 
And far away 

Heal her soul, carry her, my angel, Ohio 

Lingering in 
What about the sweetness we knew 
What about what's good what's true 
From those days 

Can't count to 
All the lovers I've burned through 
So why do I still burn for you 
I can't say 

Never going by your door 
Never feeling love like that anymore

Heal her soul, carry her, my angel, Ohio

Spotify

Dustin Christensen & Owsey - Carry Me, Ohio (Sun Kil Moon Cover)

Slumberland began operations in 1989 as a collective effort consisting of members of DC area bands Velocity Girl, Big Jesus Trash Can/Whorl, Black Tambourine and Powderburns. We were inspired by such musical happenings as C86, early Creation, Postcard, K, Bus Stop, lower East Side noise, and also the renegade art aesthetics & methods of people like Cage, Burroughs and Duchamp. The explosion of punk had left behind a thriving network of 'zines, labels and distributors and we felt that there was room for our noise-loving, pop-obsessed aesthetic. While there were loads of US indie labels releasing a steady stream of 7"s, there wasn't much pop going on. Notable exceptions included Bus Stop, K and Picture Book, and we hoped to join that group and help chisel out some space for melodies amongst the noise.

Early releases from Velocity Girl, Whorl and Black Tambourine struck a note, and we found like-minded popsters getting in touch from all over the world. As we expanded the label roster and our own horizons, the goal was always to share great songs and interesting sounds from a range of styles. Our first burst of activity through the 1990s and early 2000s brought seminal records by legendary bands like Stereolab, Rocketship, The Ropers, Lorelei, The Aislers Set, Hood and Boyracer.

By the mid 2000s we were seeing a resurgence of interest in guitar pop and the start of the ongoing vinyl revival: the perfect environment for Slumberland! We launched into our latest phase of activity with as string of classic releases from The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Crystal Stilts, Frankie Rose, Veronica Falls, Allo Darlin', Joanna Gruesome and so many more.

2025 is our thirty-sixth (!) year we are still at it, ploughing our own furrow and bringing you unique, genre-defining (and genre-defying!) releases from bands like The Laughing Chimes, Humdrum, The Cords, Autocamper, Jeanines, The Umbrellas, Neutrals, Artsick, Kids On A Crime Spree, Papercuts, Lightheaded, Tony Jay, Chime School, Lunchbox and many, many more. Indie fashions come and go but we're still thrilled by great songs and the new ways that pop can be rejuvenated to fit the times.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction

Slumberland Records

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