The Waeve
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''The Waeve'' (stylised as ''The WAEVE'') is the debut studio album by the band of the same name, a duo consisting of English singer-songwriters
Graham Coxon Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter who came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As the group's lead guitarist and secondary vocalist, Cox ...
and
Rose Elinor Dougall Rose Elinor Dougall (born 13 March 1986) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. She was a member of The Pipettes and has performed with Mark Ronson. She also performs and records as a solo artist. Career Dougall joined The Pipettes in 2 ...
. The album was released 3 February 2023 by
Transgressive Records Transgressive Records is an independent record label based in London, formed in 2004. Its founders, Tim Dellow and Toby L, first met at a Bloc Party gig organised by Toby's Rockfeedback website. The label's debut release was "1am" by the Subwa ...
.


Background and release

Coxon and Dougall first met in 2005 at a concert by Dougall's band
the Pipettes The Pipettes were a British indie pop girl group formed in 2003 in Brighton by Robert "Monster Bobby" Barry. The group has released two albums, '' We Are The Pipettes'', and '' Earth vs. The Pipettes'' and released numerous singles to support ...
, and saw each other around occasionally over the years, but didn't consider collaborating until they met again in December 2020 at a fundraiser for the
Lebanese Red Cross The Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) ( ar, الصليب الأحمر اللبناني, ''al-Ṣalīb al-aḥmar al-lubnānī''; french: Croix-Rouge libanaise) is a humanitarian organization and an auxiliary team to the medical service of the Lebanese Ar ...
at
the Jazz Café The Jazz Cafe is a music venue in Camden Town, London. It opened in 1990 on the former premises of a branch of Barclays Bank and has had several owners throughout its history as a music venue. In 2020 the Jazz Cafe celebrates its 30th year, h ...
in
Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...
, London where Coxon performed. The night of the fundraiser, they discussed working together and exchanged phone numbers. Over the following Christmas season, the two texted back and forth, sharing links to songs they both liked and exploring each other's music tastes. They decided to meet on 2 January, sharing a walk around
Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band o ...
and talking more music. Discovering a lot of common interests, they decided to start songwriting together, working in two or three sessions a week. The two subsequently started dating and had a baby girl together. The duo's name was inspired by an old English spelling of the word "sea" as "SAE", pointing to their
English folk music The folk music of England is a tradition-based music which has existed since the later medieval period. It is often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music. Folk music traditionally was preserved and passed on orally wit ...
inspiration, water-centric lyrics, and "a kind of reconciliation of feeling at odds with what ashappening in" the United Kingdom at the time. The duo and album were first announced 20 April 2022 along with a standalone single called "Here Comes the Waeve". They also announced a second standalone single, "Something Pretty", on that day; the single was released on 5 May. Four more singles were released prior to the album: "Can I Call You" on 6 September, "Drowning" on 24 October, "Kill Me Again" on 29 November, and "Over and Over" on 19 January 2023. Music videos were released for "Can I Call You" and "Kill Me Again", both directed by David J. East. A deluxe version of the album was released on 27 March which includes four new songs.


Writing and production

When the two got together to write, Coxon took the opportunity to write music that "people wouldn't necessarily expect from him, something with 'rich chord progressions.'" Neither expected their sessions to lead to enough songs for a full album, as they went into the process without any planning, just being happy to work "at their own pace, with no label, management or producer looking over their shoulder." Songs would start with
chord sequence In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practic ...
s, evolving as the two found different melodies and harmonies within those sequences. As they would add new sections and string arrangements, they would eventually realise the song had extended to ten minutes long and need to rein it back in. Coxon compared the runaway process to a
rabbit warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Anglo- ...
, saying some songs "went on forever and are still probably going somewhere, but the ones that we could keep control on ended up on the record." Writing sessions involved the two playing whatever instruments they had around, focusing on physical instruments to avoid getting lost in the possibilities of their
digital audio workstation A digital audio workstation (DAW) is an electronic device or application software used for Sound recording and reproduction, recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software pro ...
's "vast library of synths". While Dougall said "it just wouldn't be right" if the album didn't contain Coxon's guitar playing, it was his work on the saxophone, an instrument he is classically trained in, which "really helped to shape the multi-angled outline" of the album. Coxon engineered most of the album before the duo brought on James Ford to finish the record. Ford made significant changes such as replacing the duo's synthesiser recordings with real string instruments and adding other sounds including a flute. Other instruments on the record include a
cittern The cittern or cithren ( Fr. ''cistre'', It. ''cetra'', Ger. ''Cister,'' Sp. ''cistro, cedra, cítola'') is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is d ...
and a
six string bass An extended-range bass is an electric bass guitar with a wider frequency range than a standard-tuned four-string bass guitar. Terminology One way that a bass can be considered 'extended-range' is to use a tuning machine mechanism that allows fo ...
once owned by
Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-i ...
's
Larry Graham Larry Graham Jr. (born August 14, 1946) is an American bassist and baritone singer, both with the psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. In 1980, he released the single "O ...
. Dougall took vocal inspiration from singers such as
Anne Briggs Anne Patricia Briggs (born 29 September 1944) is an English folk singer. Although she travelled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in England and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achiev ...
,
Sandy Denny Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny (6 January 1947 – 21 April 1978) was an English singer who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer". After briefly w ...
and
Karen Dalton Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic la ...
.


Live

On 20 April 2022, the duo announced their first show as the Waeve at
the Lexington The Lexington, also known as Lexington Apartments, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The five-story brick structure on a raised basement was completed in 1908 as the city's first high-rise apartment building. with ...
in
Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...
, London on 4 May. They later added a second show at the Lexington on 6 May. On 21 April,
The Great Escape Festival The Great Escape Festival is a three-day music festival held in Brighton and Hove, England every year in May. It is operated by MAMA Festivals and showcases new music from a variety of genres. The festival was founded in 2006 and roughly hosts ...
announced their lineup which included the Waeve playing on 12 May along with fellow Transgressive Records acts including
Mykki Blanco Mykki Blanco (born April 2, 1986) is an American rapper, performance artist, poet and activist. She has collaborated musically with artists including Kanye West, Teyana Taylor, and Dev Hynes, Blood Orange. Early life Blanco was born in Orange ...
and
Let's Eat Grandma Let's Eat Grandma are a British Pop music, pop group formed in 2013 by musicians Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth. They released their debut studio album ''I, Gemini'' in 2016 through Transgressive Records. Their second studio album, ''I'm Al ...
. The duo were joined by
the Electric Soft Parade The Electric Soft Parade are an English psychedelic pop band from Brighton, comprising brothers Alex and Thomas White, the creative core of the band, as well as a number of other musicians with whom they record and perform live, most recently ...
drummer Thomas White, bassist Joe Chilton, and multi-instrumentalist
Charlotte Glasson Charlotte Glasson (born 1 March 1973, London, England) is a British multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer and session player, playing soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin an ...
who played violin, keyboard, and a saxophone duet with Coxon during the song "Big Idea". Their set was the best-attended of the night and was reviewed positively by ''
The Arts Desk ''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...
''s Thomas H. Green. On 24 October, the band announced their first tour of the UK for March 2023, including shows at Manchester's
Band on the Wall Band on the Wall is a live music venue in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, England. History Early history The building dates back to around 1862 when a local brewery, the McKenna Brothers, built it as the flagship pub of their operation. I ...
and Leeds'
Brudenell Social Club The Brudenell Social Club is a live music venue and social club in Hyde Park, Leeds, England. While being a social enterprise, it retains the "community atmosphere of its origins as a working men's club". The club is split into three areas— ...
. The band also played
Primavera Sound Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as simply Primavera) is an annual music festival held in Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain that takes place between the end of May and beginning of June. The first edition took place in 2001 in Poble Espany ...
in May and June and
Vieilles Charrues Festival The Vieilles Charrues Festival (french: Festival des Vieilles Charrues, ; br, Gouel an Erer Kozh, ; literally: Old Ploughs Festival) is held every year in mid-July in the city of Carhaix, located in western Brittany, France. This festival is the l ...
in July.


Influences

When asked for a list of albums that inspired ''The Waeve'' in an interview with ''
BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, ...
'', Coxon named
Talk Talk Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drummer), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles "Talk Talk (Talk Talk s ...
's ''
Laughing Stock ''Laughing Stock'' is the fifth and final studio album by English band Talk Talk, released in 1991. Following their previous release ''Spirit of Eden'' (1988), bassist Paul Webb left the group, which reduced Talk Talk to the duo of singer/mult ...
'',
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
's ''
In the Court of the Crimson King ''In the Court of the Crimson King'' (subtitled ''An Observation by King Crimson'') is the debut studio album by English rock band King Crimson, released on 10 October 1969 by Island Records. The album is one of the earliest and most influentia ...
'',
Gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
's ''
Camembert Electrique ''Camembert Electrique'' ( French: ''Electric Camembert'') is the second studio album by the progressive rock band Gong, recorded and originally released in 1971 on the French BYG Actuel label. The album was recorded at Château d'Hérouville ne ...
'',
Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...
's ''The Soul Queen of New Orleans'',
Van der Graaf Generator Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, Chris Judge Smith and the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much commerc ...
's ''
Still Life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...
'', and
Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as ...
's ''Right of Passage''; and Dougall named
Broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...
's '' Tender Buttons'',
Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...
's ''
Unhalfbricking ''Unhalfbricking'' is the third album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention and their second album released in 1969. It is seen as a transitional album in their history and marked a further musical move away from American influences ...
'',
Young Marble Giants Young Marble Giants were a Welsh post-punk band formed in Cardiff, Wales, in 1978. Their music was based around the vocals of Alison Statton along with the minimalist instrumentation of brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham. Their early sound was ...
's ''
Colossal Youth ''Colossal Youth'' is the only studio album by Welsh post-punk band Young Marble Giants, released in February 1980 on Rough Trade Records. Young Marble Giants were offered the opportunity to record the album after Rough Trade heard just two son ...
'', and
Penguin Cafe Orchestra The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) were an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, it toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having elemen ...
's '' Signs of Life''. In another interview, Coxon specifically discussed the influence of
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
on the album, saying that, "if it wasn't for King Crimson or Van Der Graaf Generator there may not have been saxophone on the album or certain attitudes towards organ sounds," while also naming Gong,
Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...
,
Matching Mole Matching Mole were an English progressive rock band associated with the Canterbury scene. Robert Wyatt formed the band in October 1971 after he left Soft Machine and recorded his first solo album, '' The End of an Ear'' (4 December 1970). He c ...
,
Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...
, and
Kevin Ayers Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely assoc ...
. The duo have said one of the main themes on the album is
Englishness A national identity of the English as the people or ethnic group dominant in England dates to the Anglo-Saxon period. The establishing of a single English ethnic identity dates to at least AD 731, as exemplified in Bede's ''Ecclesiastical History ...
, a concept Dougall found herself uncomfortable with in the period leading up to the 2016
Brexit referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...
and ever since. Dougall noted that both her and Coxon are "identifiably English-sounding" and that singing in their natural accents is important to her, but that this inescapable cultural identity is "not easy ... to wear with pride." Coxon said that, "whatever political persuasion you are, you love this country," and Dougall emphasised the "beautiful" aspects of the culture and climate as things "you can hold on to when everything else feels like it's been co-opted by evil." Dougall regards this tension and conflict as both "objectively interesting to explore" and "important to think about ... and dwell on".


Reception


Track listing


Personnel

*
Graham Coxon Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter who came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As the group's lead guitarist and secondary vocalist, Cox ...
– lead vocals, saxophone, guitar, producer, recording engineer *
Rose Elinor Dougall Rose Elinor Dougall (born 13 March 1986) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. She was a member of The Pipettes and has performed with Mark Ronson. She also performs and records as a solo artist. Career Dougall joined The Pipettes in 2 ...
– lead vocals, producer * James Ford – producer, mixing engineer, additional production, additional instruments * Elysian Quartet – strings


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waeve 2023 debut albums The Waeve albums Transgressive Records albums Albums produced by James Ford (musician)