Album Review: Pales Waves - 'Who Am I?'
Pale Waves return with the release of their infectious second album ‘Who Am I?’
Who am I is available everywhere now on Dirty Hit records home to label mates and mentors The 1975. The band wanted to create an album that promoted inclusivity whilst being whoever you want to be and being proud of that. On the making of the album, Heather says: “For me, music and art is for people not to feel so alone and isolated; I want to be that person my fans look up too and find comfort in”.
The opening track and first single from the album titled ‘Change’ is a perfect pop banger that’s equally nostalgic and fresh creating a vibe carries on through the album. Track 4 Easy was tipped as Annie Macs Hottest Record in the world on its release day last month and that’s only one small feat of their impressive credits including winning NME’s Under the radar award in 2018 as well as charting at number 8 in the UK with their first album ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ back in 2018.
‘Tomorrow’ focuses on the importance of comfort in sexuality with very direct lyrics ‘Sexuality’s isn’t a choice, don’t let anybody say it’s wrong’. This is a topic close to the bands heart with front woman Heather using these songs and her voice to be open with her sexuality and find comfort in her own skin. The album showcases how this has given her more confidence to be the front woman she yearned to find in bands when she was growing up.
‘Odd ones out’ shows a softer side to the bands writing style opening just with acoustic guitar, synth pads and vocals which creates a nice change in dynamic to the album as a full body of work. The final track which is all the album title ‘Who Am I?” is a pop power ballad which looks inwards at struggling with depression and builds slowly with the full band entering on the lyric ‘gotta find the love myself’.
Mixing harmonies, huge choruses and catchy melodies across 11 tracks, Pale Waves have crafted the formula to write the perfect pop album with Who Am I?
Words by Tamara Grzegorzek