PALE WAVES

Smitten (Dirty Hit)

It’s been an interesting sonic trajectory for Manchester’s Pale Waves leading up to their latest album Smitten. Their debut album was saccharine indie-pop before their second went more 00s throwback pop-rock, their third was more pop-punk, and now Pale Waves’ fourth album ties it all together, returning primarily to the indie bangers that they first found fame with but with sprinklings of everything else they’ve done en route.

Album opener and recent single Glasgow begins with U2-esque guitars before turning into yearning, singer Heather Baron-Gracie recalling leaving a lover behind in the city of the title. Thereafter, Smitten remains consistently good, with the catchy Not A Love Song, the romantic Miss America and the peak-80s ethereal Perfume. It doesn’t shake up the band’s sound as dramatically as its predecessors; rather, it sums up what makes Pale Waves such a great band – that is, their ability to create damn good bangers. 

words JOSHUA WILLIAMS