The hype is real, folks. The hype is real.
I’m not gonna lie: some reviews we choose are strategic. We see a band about to pop, and we hope that by doing a review their fanbase will take notice of Tuned Up. That’s the case with Pale Waves. Yet, at the same time—this album is so thoroughly enjoyable that I can’t not write about it.
Just ask our pop punk hypeman, Ray Cobra. He deviated from pop punk and changed his Facebook header photo to the album art for My Mind Makes Noises.
This album is a lot of things. I had an inkling I would like this band when I first encountered them at a show with The 1975 last summer. I recall a friend at the show tweeting that he fell in love with the band in the middle of their set. What surprises me about this album is how deep yet cohesive it is.
One quality that Pale Waves demonstrates consistently throughout the record is the ability to perform vulnerable lyrics bathed in a sheen that somehow obscures and amplifies them at the same time. Even the album’s title, “My Mind Makes Noises,” preps the listener for an experience that is biographical to singer Heather Baron-Gracie and relatable. “Noises” and “She” are songs that seem to go together—struggles with body image and rejection abound: two topics that are a part of the human experience, yet still take guts to talk about, let alone sing about, openly.
I’ll be honest though—the biggest reason I like this record is that the songs overall are just consistently enjoyable. “Television Romance” and “There’s a Honey,” who graced airwaves and ears alike last year, are welcome additions to the 14-song journey. Synth heavy power ballads like “She” and the album closer “Karl” are contemplative and make you feel that bass in a live setting (“She” was a highlight at the show I attended earlier this year). “Red” is particularly fun, because it starts off as a slow burner and gradually builds up to an atmospheric, dancey club track that will have you grooving in no time at all.
In short, if you’re willing to embrace your emo side in a very, very danceable context and get sad and then immediately uplifted—Pale Waves are for you, whether by diving into this record or at a live show.
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