Belong is the second studio album from New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 indie band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are an indie pop band from New York City. Their first album was a self-released EP which came out in 2007 through the Painbow label. Their debut self-titled full length album was released on February 3, 2009 via Slumberland Records. The band name comes from an...

. It was released on March 29, 2011 through Slumberland Records

Slumberland Records

Slumberland Records is an American independent record label formed in 1989 in Washington, D.C. area and currently based in Oakland, CA. The label has released recordings from artists including Velocity Girl, Honeybunch, Lilys, Stereolab, St...

. The album was recorded in the fall of 2010 after extensive touring in support of the band's debut album

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (album)

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is the self-titled debut album by the New York indie band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, released on February 3, 2009. The album was recorded at Honeyland Studios in Brooklyn, New York, and was mixed by Archie Moore. The album was released to generally warm...

. It was produced by Flood and mixed by Alan Moulder

Alan Moulder

Alan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...

. The vinyl was released in standard black with limited versions in white (US) and blue (UK).

Background and recording

In an interview with Pitchfork

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

, vocalist/guitarist Kip Berman explained that the band "wanted the songs to exist in an immediate and instinctual place. The album sounds like we're taking away what we were hiding behind before. Lyrically, the first record had a lot of remembered experiences that I was looking back on and trying to make more clever, which can sound contrived. I like the idea of lyrics that don't get beyond themselves but catch you and make an impression. I think that's more emotionally compelling."

Release and reception

The album's release will be followed by a national tour, supported by indie pop

Indie pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...

/electronic

Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

 artist Twin Shadow

Twin Shadow

Twin Shadow is the stage name of American musician George Lewis Jr. Lewis who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Florida. Around 2000 Lewis moved to Boston where he started the band Mad Man Films alongside Joseph Ciampini of Hooray For Earth, and Zak Longo of Before Lazers. Mad Man...

. On March 10, 2011, The full album was posted on their website for streaming.

The album has been received positively by music critics, earning a 78 on review aggregator site Metacritic

Metacritic

Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Track listing

1. "Belong" - 4:21
2. "Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now" - 3:54
3. "Heart in Your Heartbreak" - 3:45
4. "The Body" - 3:54
5. "Anne with an E" - 4:08
6. "Even in Dreams" - 4:24
7. "My Terrible Friend" - 3:11
8. "Girl of 1,000 Dreams" - 2:49
9. "Too Tough" - 4:32
10. "Strange" - 4:22
11. "The One" - 4:04 (Japanese bonus track)
12. "I Wanna Go All The Way" - 2:42 (Japanese bonus track)
13. "Steel Daughter" - 3:37 (Japanese bonus track)
14. "Tomorrow Dies Today" - 3:59 (Japanese Bonus track)