PALE WAVES Smitten | The Cranberries have a worthy heir

Pale Waves | Biography

Pale Waves are a British indie rock band from Manchester, UK, formed in 2014. Their original name was ‘Creek’, although its founder, singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie, along with her college friend and drummer Ciara Doran, decided to change it to ‘Pale Waves’, basing the name on a picture Baron-Gracie’s grandmother had painted.

The band would be completed by guitarist Hugo Silvani and bassist Charlie Wood, recording back in 2015 their first demos. It wouldn’t be until 2017, having signed to independent record label Dirty Hit, that they would release their first single, ‘There a Honey’, to great acclaim.

Their debut EP, ‘All the Things I Never Said’, was released in 2018, followed by their first and somewhat obscure studio album, ‘My Mind Makes Noises‘, which led to their first headlining tour in North America with 21 shows.

Singer Baron-Gracie has always cited Dolores O’Riordan as her main influence, and that’s because Pale Waves has a distinctly Cranberries flavor.

I love The Cranberries. They were amazing. I definitely looked up to Dolores O’Riordan. She has one of my favourite voices of all time. She gave off that attitude – she was totally herself. I loved her fashion sense, she was such a cool person.

In 2020 Pale Waves had a serious accident when the bus taking them to a concert went off the road, leaving them stranded. While the bus burned they suffered only minor injuries. Drummer Ciara Doran stated:

We honestly thought we were going to die. The injuries will heal but this will stay with me and everyone involved for forever.

A year later, in 2021, Pale Waves’ second album, ‘Who Am I?’, would see the light of day, reaching number three in the UK album chart.

• Heather Baron-Gracie and Ciara Doran are members of the LQBTQ+ community, which they would reflect on this album. Pale Waves have always said they want to be “a voice for LGBTQ+ people”.

‘Unwanted‘, the British band’s third album was released in 2022. The album marked a turn towards pop-punk, deviating even further from their indie-pop roots. Pale Waves would tour the US, UK and Japan.

• Fast forward to 2024 when Pale Waves released their fourth and best album ‘Smitten‘.

Pale Waves (Promotional Image)

Smitten | The forth and new album by Pale Waves

With ‘Smitten‘ Pale Waves returns to the synthpop sound inspired by the jangly guitars and 60’s pop melodies that were prominent early in their career.

Most of Smitten’s lyrics are based on band singer Heather Baron-Gracie’s teenage diary, as well as on the emotions of her early relationships with women. Baron-Gracie describes the album as: “romantic, delicate and feminine”.

Heather invites us to revisit the past, for as we mature we see the times gone by with a renewed perspective.

The album debuted at number 13 in the UK, with singles Perfume, Glasgow, Gravity and Thinking About You:

1. Glasgow: A bittersweet, eighties song about leaving someone because you know it’s no longer good for either of you.
2. Not a love song: This track tells us about a personal experience of the singer where for her partner she was just an experiment. Heather reflects that we should always be each other’s first choice or better to just be nothing.
3. Gravity: A real autobiographical song that tells the story of Heather’s relationship with a woman who hesitated between her religion and her sexuality, deciding in the end for Jesus.
4. Thinking about you: The story of “girl leaves girl and she can’t turn the page”.
5. Perfume: Undoubtedly, the best song on the album, reminds us of The Cranberries’ greatest hits. With simple but effective lyrics and a rhythmic, metallic guitar, Pale Waves explores the emotion of a new love and the complexity that comes with the beginning of a relationship.
6. Last train home: Heather regrets a past relationship that she was unable to commit to.
7. Kiss me again: Like a 2000’s romance film Pale Waves explores fleeting romance, impulsive attraction and the thrill of a one-night stand.
8. Miss America: An emphatic reflection on the mistakes of the past.
9. Hate to hurt you: This track explores the discomfort and regret that comes with causing pain to others.
10. Seeing stars: A romantic song like few others that was the guiding star of all of ‘Smitten’.
11. Imagination: A mid-tempo song that allows us to be carried away by our imagination.
12. Slow: ‘Smitten’ closes with a rocker and disheveled song, but it is a perfect closing for an album that will conquer you.

Video | Pale Waves Perfume