Could Brooklyn band the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart be the next big thing in indie-pop? The four-piece are certainly having a go at it as they release yet another EP of sparkling shoe-gaze songs and hit bigger venues than ever before on their forthcoming UK tour. TMM chatted to lead singer and guitarist Kip Berman about the pleasures of being in the Pains…

Why should people have the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart in their record collection?
Well, my mom has a copy and my grandparents too. It may make you an honorary member of my family.

Tell us about the new EP…
The EP is four songs we really liked that maybe didn’t make sense in the context of the last album or even the next one. If you were to say it’s rather schizophrenic, I wouldn’t disagree. There are two very clean, poppy songs – and two fuzzy, more despairing, songs.

Many of your songs are very heartfelt, emotional and melancholic – do you have to dig deep to come up with them? Is song-writing a raw or uplifting experience for you?
We write about our lives and the sort of experiences you never really forget. Those are the feelings that first come to mind. It’s almost like the first pair of socks you see in your sock drawer, you wear.

What are your biggest influences – on life and/or music?
I admire people who do stuff that’s really true and good, like Joey Ramone and Gene Wilder. I’d rather have no one care about what we do than make something phoney.

What would be your fantasy festival line-up?
T. Rex, My Favorite, Exploding Hearts, Rocketship, Suede and Saint Etienne.

If you could duet/collaborate with any singer/band (alive or dead), who would it be?
Marc Bolan. Actually, I would just let him do the singing and I would stick to bongos.

Are you excited about the UK tour? Where are you most looking forward to going?
Coming to the UK is always an adventure for us. I think we’re torn between Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and London as our favourite places to play. It’s just such a strange thrill to play in a country so far from home and see people know our songs. From the first time to now, the fact that people even care about our music in such a far away place is an honour. It’s totally wonderful and very welcome.

You’ve received huge praise from critics yet lots of people still haven’t heard of the band – does that bother you or are you happy being the underdog?
We’re totally happy. We love life, we love being in this band and we’re just grateful that anyone at all cares about the music we play. This is way more awesomeness than we could ever have expected. I guess Top Of The Pops will have to wait – but if we ever get to do something like that, we’re dressing as the Glitter Band and I’ll have a bouffant, a silver jump suit and platform boots.

New EP Higher than the Stars is released today (November 9) on Fortuna POP! For UK tour dates visit www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Everything With You