Passion Pit
Manners
Frenchkiss
Rating: 5
Since the release of their tantalizing indie-pop EP, Chunk of Change, Passion Pit has been gaining popularity among hipsters all over the world.
The six-track-long anthology was a Valentine’s Day gift for lead singer Michael Angelakos‘ girlfriend at the time and eventually circulated around Emerson College, where Angelakos was attending school.
Soon after the mid-September release of Chunk of Change, Passion Pit’s music has been slowly introduced to the world by corporations such as PlayStation, MTV, Pitchfork and BBC’s Sound of 2009.
Despite the growing population of the band, fans did not have to wait that long for more of Passion Pit’s upbeat electro-tunes. The band signed with New York-based, major record label Frenchkiss Records and began recording new material.
Passion Pit’s first full-length record, Manners, was released last month and the band, currently consisting of Angelakos, Ian Hultquist, Ayad Al Adhamy, Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer, is now on a five-month long tour around the U.S. and UK.
The combination of catchy synth chords, flowing blip riffs, upbeat rhythms, children’s choir choruses and Angelakos‘ occasionally indiscernible vocals result in pure bliss.
In “Little Secrets,” Angelakos sings, “Let this be our little secret/ No one needs to know we’re feeling/ Higher and higher and higher/ But I feel alive and I feel it in me/ Up and up we keep on climbing/ Higher and higher and higher.” Needless to say, this track is instantly endearing and memorable.
According to Brooklyn-based freelance writer and editor Jessica Suarez, this “dork disco” is not the typical music to woo the ladies, but I think she’s being too harsh. Unsexy is the new sexy, just as Wednesday is the new Friday. Passion Pit is legit.
Give these tracks a listen: “Little Secrets” “Seaweed Song” “Eyes as Candles“
For fans of: MGMT, Chairlift
– Simone Wahng
