Photo by​ Ebru Yildiz

​​When The Pains of Being Pure at Heart announced their summer tour schedule back in April, it came with the promise of a new album on the way. Today, the indie pop outfit have officially set a July 14th release date for The Echo of Pleasure, the follow-up to 2014’s Days of Abandon. 

Coming from the Kip Berman-fronted group’s own Painbow label, the nine-track effort is the band’s fourth full-length overall. According to a statement Berman made in a press release, it might also be their last. He explained,

“When I recorded the record, my wife was six months pregnant. We only had a limited amount of time. There was an absolute uncertainty hanging over our heads, but it was also a kind of escape from worry for that time. What’s going to happen when I have a kid? Am I going to be able to go on tour? Is this the last record I’m going to get to make? It’s not a bad thing to be worried when you’re expecting this huge transition of life. If you didn’t feel scared, you’re probably not feeling the right emotion. I tried to make the best record I could, knowing it might be the last time.”

Helping him through the fear was producer Andy Savours (My Blood Valentine, The Killers), who previously worked on Days of Abandon. Berman was also joined by guests Jen Goma of A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Dream Diary bassist Jacob Danish Sloan, and Kelly Pratt (Beirut, David Byrne) on horns.

As a first listen to the record, The Pains have shared its lead single, “Anymore”. It’s a jaunty number filled with melodic guitars and a sweet message of love: “I wanted to die with you.” Take a listen below.

Pre-orders for The Echo of Pleasure are going on here. A gold metallic vinyl version with gold foil stamped packaging is limited to just 500 copies and available exclusively through the band’s website.

The Echo of Pleasure Album Art:

The Echo of Pleasure Tracklist:
01. My Only
02. Anymore
03. The Garret
04. When I Dance With You
05. The Echo of Pleasure
06. Falling Apart So Slow
07. So True (feat. Jen Goma)
08. The Cure for Death
09. Stay

In support of the forthcoming release, The Pains have expanded their 2017 tour schedule. Find the updated itinerary below.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart 2017 Tour Dates:
05/24 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla ^+
05/25 – Manchester, UK @ Night & Day Cafe ^+
05/27 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ Think Tank ^+
05/28 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo ^+
05/29 – Leeds, UK @ The Church ^+
05/30 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney ^+
06/01 – Leicester, UK @ The Cookie ^
06/02 – Wolverhampton, UK @Newhampton Arts Centre ^
06/03 – Oxford, UK @ The Cellar ^
06/08 – Hamden, CT @The Ballroom at the Outer Space %#
06/09 – Brooklyn, NY @ Northside Fest (Music Hall of Williamsburg) %#
06/14 –Cambridge, MA @The Sinclair *%
06/15 – Portsmouth, NH @ 3s Art Space *%
06/16 – Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz PDB *%
06/17 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern *%
06/19 – Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop *%
06/20 – Detroit, MI @ El Club *%
06/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave. 7th St. Entry %$
06/23 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon %$
06/24 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall %$
06/25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird %$
06/27 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt %$
06/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl %$
06/30 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 %$
07/01 – Washington DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel %$
07/02 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Downstairs %$
09/22 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret ~
09/23 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern ~
09/24 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge ~
09/26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel ~
09/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom ~
09/28 – San Diego, CA @ The Loft UC ~
10/15 – Madrid, ES @ Joy Slava
10/16 – Córdoba, ES @ Sala Hanger
10/17 – Granada, ES @ Lemon Rock
10/19 – Valencia, ES @ La Rambleta
10/20 – Barcelona, ES @ Bikini
10/21 – Santander, ES @ Escenario

^ = w/ Night Flowers
+ = w/ Yoke Lore
% = w/ Ablebody
# = w/ Beverly
* = w/ Frankie Rose
$ = w/ Tony Molina
~ = w/ The Prids and The Courtneys