Audio By Carbonatix
Nothing places your heart on your sleeve like naming your electro-pop band after the public cubbyholes where teenagers go to feel each other up. Indeed, the lyrical themes of Passion Pit, spun by vocalist and lyricist Michael Angelakos, draws on teenage angst and adolescent sexual appetites. Angelakos originally crafted the band’s debut EP, Chunk of Change, as a belated Valentine’s Day gift for a former flame, but the project quickly caught on. Passion Pit’s debut EP and Manners followed suit with even more personal odes to inner turmoil, secret addiction, and death fetishes. Angelakos has further dived into his personal problems, tearing pages directly from his diary for Pit’s second LP, Gossamer. Here, Angelakos handles alcohol-induced paranoia, vilifies himself, and winds up in a mental hospital. He even proposes to his girlfriend (“On My Way”), promising the woman that there’s a better side to him than just bipolar disorder and addiction issues. Because of his inherent hatred for dishonesty, Angelakos is upfront about his shortcomings, using his hyperactive synth-washed tunes as a form of therapy. The juxtaposition is what makes Passion Pit click, no matter how unconvincing the Prozac-induced grin can be. Talk about suffering for your art.
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