Album Review: Pale Waves - 'My Mind Makes Noises'

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Pale Waves were destined to be an indie fan favourite from the minute their first couple of demos reached us back in 2015. Their growth from then has been ridiculous to say the least; The beginning of this year saw them take on massive headline tour of the UK while also releasing a couple of their Goth Pop anthems along the way which have definitely helped in creating the huge (and well deserved) hype for their debut album, My Mind Makes Noises. Front woman Heather Baron Gracie describes the debut as “Like reading my diary”, there is an honesty to each track and it seems like Baron Gracie’s heartbreak, lust and hurt definitely influenced the overall feel of the album.

Opening track Eighteen is an open display of ‘wearing your heart on your sleeve’. The feeling this song portrays is one that I think every teenager can relate to; that classic young romance kind of newness. This album is definitely incredibly emotional, but Pale Waves have found such a clever way of balancing out deep meanings with dance-worthy, infectious pop beats.

The third track is a perfect example of this - it is called Noises and it is a really important song. It discusses the insecurities that we all have but no one ever talks about and issues surrounding mental health – ‘why do I stare so much at my body?’ ‘I look at myself and see what I hate’ lyrics like these are sure to resonate with fans and hit home a little.

Fan Favourites ‘There’s a Honey’ and ‘Television Romance’ fit in so well in this album even though they’ve been released and talked about for a while now and are accompanied by another incredible pop track ‘Came In Close’. Heather recently revealed that this song is drummer Ciara Doran’s favourite and I’m sure fans will agree. This track feels like Pale Waves proving that they are worthy of more than playing in small venues. This one is arena worthy.

Another really intimate, emotional moment on the album is the final track, Karl (I Wonder What It’s Like To Die). The title alone gives you a good idea of the general feel of it. This one is the only acoustic song on the album, it is so simple yet incredibly heart-breaking. It’s for Heather’s late Grandad and it discusses everything she wanted to say to him. ‘I see so much of you in me lately/I wrote a song for you and it’s called hide and seek/you never heard it’ It is a definite change from the vibe of the other sadder songs on the album as those ones still seem quite romance related, this one is just an outpouring of pure emotion and love for someone that meant a lot to her and even though it is so personal, it will break a few hearts that perhaps could relate to her situation.

There’s no denying that this album has lived up to the hype. Each song deserves its place on the debut and none of them feel like ‘filler’ songs which is very rare. These new songs will be adored by Pale Waves’ current fans and will hopefully encourage some new ones to give them a chance.

Words by Thalia Traynor