Passion Pit, the indie electro-pop project of Cambridge, Mass.-based songwriter Michael Angelakos, broke through with 2009's devastatingly catchy single "The Reeling." Passion Pit's debut album Manners was hailed as a breath of fresh air by indie audiences and critics alike, and its bright, bouyant electro-pop sound and clever yet sincere songwriting made the band one of 2009's most talked-about new acts.

Since then, Angelakos and his shifting cast of bandmates have toured and played festivals worldwide, and holed up in Los Angeles and New York to record a sophomore full-length. The result, Gossamer, saw the light of day in July, but only after a lengthy and fraught recording and promotional schedule detailed in a deeply sincere interview that Angelakos gave Pitchfork earlier this year, in which he discussed his struggles with mental health and difficulties handling the band's success. Appropriately, Gossamer taps a darker and more human emotional template than Passion Pit's debut, while pushing their glowing synth-pop sound in rich new directions.

While in town to play a two-night engagement at First Avenue, Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit stopped by The Current studio to chat with Mark Wheat.

Songs played: "Take A Walk," "Sleepy Head" and "Constant Conversations."

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