Yo La Tengo - Painful - Vinyl Record

Yo La Tengo — Painful

Originally released in 1993, Painful marks Yo La Tengo’s sixth album and their debut for Matador Records. Produced by John McEntire, this vinyl LP blends the trio’s signature noise textures with rich ambient tones, delivering 11 tracks that unfold with intimate dynamics and melodic clarity. The result is a refined, atmosphere-rich shift that rewards repeated spins and attentive listening, moving beyond their earlier chaos into a casually majestic sound.

Celebrated by critics, Painful captures a pivotal moment in Hoboken’s indie scene—where scruffy guitars meet enveloping atmospherics, creating songs that feel both intimate and expansive. The album’s nuanced arrangements invite careful listening, rewarding fans who crave texture, mood, and interplay between guitars, rhythm, and space. It’s an essential entry for collectors seeking a defining Matador-era title and a standout example of the band’s evolving catalog.

Ready to deepen your collection? Explore this pivotal pressing and experience the album that redefined Yo La Tengo’s sound.

1. Big Day Coming
2. From a Motel 63
3. Double Dare
4. Superstar-Watcher
5. Nowhere Near
6. Sudden Organ
7. A Worrying Thing
8. I Was the Fool Beside You For Too Long
9. Whole of the Law, The
10. Big Day Coming
11. I Heard You Looking