The gift, an EP entitled Chunk of Change, soon wound up in the hands of friends and acquaintances, who were enthralled with the work. Eventually, Passion Pit became not only a vehicle for the romantic expressions of Angelakos' heart but a full-fledged band -- at least for live gigs -- and opened for a number of well-known artists, including Death Cab for Cutie. This momentum led to label interest, and in 2008 the Frenchkiss label picked up Chunk of Change for re-release with the addition of two bonus tracks. The EP, and especially the track "Sleepyhead," garnered a lot of attention from bloggers and fans of giddy electronic indie pop.

Columbia Records also liked what they heard and paired with Frenchkiss to release Manners, the first album by the group (which now consisted of Angelakos, Nathan Donmoyer, Ian Hultquist, Ayad Al Adhamy, and Jeff Apruzzese), in spring of 2009. The band's long-awaited 2012 follow-up, Gossamer, was preceded by the singles "Take a Walk," "I'll Be Alright," and "Constant Conversation," and featured new member Xander Singh, who replaced Adhamy. While touring shortly after the album's release, Angelakos canceled the remaining dates to enter a facility to seek help for his bipolar disorder. Passion Pit resumed activities a few months later with an appearance on Saturday Night Live in October, then were quiet until the next year when they headlined the Coastline Festival in Florida and released the Constant Conversations EP. Nothing more was heard until Xander Singh and Ian Hultquist quit the band in late 2014. Better news came in 2015 with the announcement of a new album and the release of a single, "Lifted Up (1985)," in February. With liner notes crediting solely Angelakos as a member, Passion Pit's bubbly third album, Kindred, was released soon after. ~ Chris True & Tim Sendra