Pale Waves’ fourth studio album is called Smitten, and it’s a feeling that pervades every inch of the indie-rock outfit’s latest record. For this new record the group – originally formed in Manchester – shed the grungy guitars and more rebellious tones of their last album, 2022’s pop-punk record Unwanted. Instead, they bring a fresh alt-pop sound, lyrically concerned with reflecting on “past lives” and the simultaneous joy and pain of young love. Lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie reflects: “When I fall in love, I fall deep, and it’s interesting to me that you can feel so fascinated and smitten with someone and then they can become a total stranger.”
The opening single, ‘Glasgow’, is the lead singer’s favourite. “It’s about leaving someone because you know it’s no good for either of you anymore. It somehow breaks my heart but also makes me feel euphoric at the same time.” This juxtaposition flows through the whole album, creating a longing, wistful coming-of-age sound. ‘Not a Love Song’ follows, opening with muted guitar synths before a snare kicks in. The anaphoric lyrics “I’ll be your sweet disposition that you wanted so bad / I’ll be the reason that your father gets so f*cking mad” are gleefully bitter and I imagine the song’s chorus will be a crowd hit on their tour. A haunting guitar line echoes the heartbreak of “This is not a love song, we don’t end up together”.
Next up is another single, ‘Gravity’, which initially appears to be a fun, sugary-sweet ode to being head-over-heels for a girl. The second verse yields, however, that “couldn’t let her know she’s all I think about / she loves Jesus, so that always stopped us” and as the song slides into some heartbreaking minor chords, the true pain of their unattainable love is revealed. The tempo slows slightly with ‘Thinking About You’, which I found reminiscent of early Girl in Red in its layered harmonies, as well as The Cranberries as Baron-Gracie implores “Tell me, tell me, do you remember? Did the feelings linger?”
Track five is ‘Perfume’. The band list The Cranberries and The Cure as influences as they paint the picture of total infatuation in this 80s-infused lead single. “My mother says that when I want something I never let go / Call me obsessed but I don’t mind just as long as it’s all mine”. The whole album deals with the highs and lows of young queer relationships, fraught with uncertainty but never unyielding in its strength of feeling. The overdriven guitar lines add to this anxiety and obsession.
In ‘Kiss Me Again’, Pale Waves paint the picture of a more casual but no less euphoric relationship with the lyrics “call it pathetic or poetic” “want attention and your touch, oh let’s not think too much”. This was one of my favourites on Smitten, as it’s fun but tugs at the heart at the same time. Baron-Gracie launches into each chorus with “It’s going nowhere!”; the jubilance of her tone juxtaposes her pessimistic statement as she revels in the transience of their love affair.
Towards the end of the record, ‘Seeing Stars’ has a warm, nostalgic feeling, in part because it reminds me of the indie sound of the mid-2010s. The chorus is incredibly catchy as Baron-Gracie sings, in slight awe, “She hit me so hard I was seeing stars”. Soft voices echo in the background before the last chorus, and then a distorted guitar line kicks in. “Let it break my heart, let it tear me apart” sung over this captures the feeling of total longing that the album depicts so well. This was another favourite and one I cannot wait to hear live.
“Am I dreaming?” Baron-Gracie asks, at the album’s ultimate song. ‘Slow’ wraps up the whole record nicely, as the last echoing guitars fade out and her voice lingers, catching on the uncertainty of the feelings she’s been professing this whole time, reflecting the nerves of young love. We truly feel like we’ve been dreaming, wrapped in clouds of soft alt-pop.
Smitten is a really sweet album. Some songs vary on the simpler side but it works. This would pair well with watching the clouds go by on a long train journey, soundtracking a coming of age film or the next season of Heartstopper. The sound is super cohesive and while I would have loved a bit more variety, it’s an album that flows nicely from one floaty tune to another. They have found a great, dreamy sound that works for them.
Pale Waves play the Foundry on 10 October 2024.
7/10
