Higher Than The Stars EP

Instead of following up their well-received self-titled album with an EP full of the same kind of neo-shoegaze noise pop, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart do a little creative stretching on the HIGHER THAN THE STARS EP. The title track is a happy pop tune with the layers of fuzzy six-strings replaced by shimmering synths. It's more Field Mice than My Bloody Valentine and it works very well. The band didn't really need to prove that there were lovely songs beneath all the noise but they truly have with the kind of song that will be a 2009 mixtape staple among lovers of great pop songs, indie or otherwise. Overall, this EP marks a vital point in POBPAH's artistic development, a chance to see that they aren't willing to just sit back and repeat themselves.