Say No To Love EP

In case anyone's worried that the jump to a big-league producer–in this case, James Brown of U2 and Foo Fighters fame–has in any way softened The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart's new EP, "Say No To Love": Your concerns are totally justified. The title track of the two-song release is indeed tidier and punchier than the band's fuzz-damaged, self-titled full-length. Despite the spring cleaning, though, the title track–as well as its B-side, "Lost Saint"–are just as simple and endearingly infectious as the scruffy old stuff. But where the band used to shamble, they now sparkle–a sound that evokes the shimmer of the Smiths more than overdrive of the Jesus And Mary Chain. So, depending on your '80s Britpop preference, get excited or disappointed; meanwhile, these two new songs will keep the rest of the world swooning and freshly scrubbed until the sophomore album arrives.

Slumberland http://www.slumberlandrecords.com