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Music

Passion power

PASSION PIT at the Phoenix (410 Sherbourne), Tuesday (August 11), 8 pm. $15. 416-870-8000 DJ set after-party at Sneaky Dee’s (431 College), 10 pm. Free before 11:30 pm, $10 after.


Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos single-handedly raised the bar for boyfriends everywhere.

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Around Valentine’s Day 2007, he recorded four synth-pop songs for his girlfriend in lieu of flowers or chocolate. Beyond being thoughtful, the songs were actually good – really good.

By Valentine’s Day 2009, Angelakos had parlayed his bedroom project into a five-piece band, signed record deals with Frenchkiss and Columbia and dropped an EP – Chunk Of Change, which contained the original recordings – and a widely acclaimed full-length, Manners.

Needless to say, your Valentine’s Day gift sucked in comparison.

Angelakos and his girlfriend have since split, but don’t think that means popularity has gotten to the band the two remain close friends.

“We’re very thankful for every day we get to play music for people,” says bassist Jeff Apruzzese over the phone from somewhere between New York and Boston, the band’s home base.

“We’re taking our success in stride, just trying to enjoy every second. Before I joined Passion Pit, I’d never travelled outside the United States. Now we’re playing shows in Europe to 1,000 people singing our songs. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Passion Pit, whose name is slang for a car’s back seat, recruited Apruzzese fresh out of college just as things were picking up last summer.

“I’d just gotten a job at the Apple Store,” he laughs, “and after two weeks of training and on what was supposed to be my official first day, I had to quit because of all the shows. I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m coming back here tomorrow, or ever again.'”

Despite rapidly releasing Chunk Of Change and Manners, Apruzzese says the band is now too focused on touring to write new songs.

“We just booked tours in Japan and Australia, a tour cycle that’ll last a year and a half. We probably won’t have time to think about our next record until after that.”

Passion Pit’s meticulously crafted live set builds on – and doesn’t simply reproduce – their euphoric, life-affirming synth rock recordings. Apruzzese admits that sometimes shit still goes haywire.

“We have seven synths, plus laptops, guitars and amps. Sometimes we blow the club’s circuit breakers, especially in Europe for some reason.

“That’s part of the fun of playing live. Anything can happen, which is why people go to shows.”

music@nowtoronto.com

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