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Speaking to ''
Pale Waves are an English
Pale Waves formed in 2014 when drummer Ciara Doran met Heather Baron-Gracie while attending BIMM Manchester. The two originally named their group "Creek", but they soon changed it to "Pale Waves", basing the name on a painting Baron-Gracie's grandmother had created. Doran and Baron-Gracie initially enlisted second guitarist Ben Bateman and bassist Ryan Marsden to complete the lineup, but they departed from the band shortly thereafter, with current bassist Charlie Wood and second guitarist Hugo Silvani replacing them. The band recorded early demos with production team Sugar House that were released in 2015. These tracks caught the attention of XFM radio broadcaster John Kennedy, who referred them to the independent record label
, Baron-Gracie talked about how the band's debut album is shaping up and its darker tone: "The songs we have out now are very influenced by romance. The album is me talking about a lot of my darker issues. I talk about a lot of things that go on in my mind rather than in my heart". "The Tide", the first song written by the band, was released on 1 February 2018 as the third single from the band's then-upcoming debut rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, formed in 2014. It was founded originally as Creek when lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie met drummer Ciara Doran while attending university in Manchester. The other members are guitarist Hugo Silvani and bassist Charlie Wood, completing the lineup. Pale Waves's early work is often described as 80s-inspired indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
or synth-pop; their second and third albums, however, owe more to the pop-punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...
genre.
After signing a record deal with Dirty Hit
Dirty Hit is a British independent record label founded in December 2009 by Jamie Oborne, Brian Smith, and former England footballer, Ugo Ehiogu. It is currently based in West London, England. Their releases are distributed to digital platforms ...
in 2017, Pale Waves released their debut single, " There's a Honey", followed by " Television Romance". In 2018, the band were ranked fifth in the BBC Sound of 2018 poll and won the ''NME'' Under the Radar Award at the NME Awards
The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine '' NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding ...
. Pale Waves' debut EP, '' All the Things I Never Said'', was released in February 2018, followed by their debut studio album, '' My Mind Makes Noises'', on 14 September 2018. The band's second album, '' Who Am I?'', was released on 12 February 2021, and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart; the record also hit number one on the UK Independent Albums Chart. The band's third album, '' Unwanted'', was released on 12 August 2022.
History
2014–2017: Formation and early career
Pale Waves formed in 2014 when drummer Ciara Doran met Heather Baron-Gracie while attending BIMM Manchester. The two originally named their group "Creek", but they soon changed it to "Pale Waves", basing the name on a painting Baron-Gracie's grandmother had created. Doran and Baron-Gracie initially enlisted second guitarist Ben Bateman and bassist Ryan Marsden to complete the lineup, but they departed from the band shortly thereafter, with current bassist Charlie Wood and second guitarist Hugo Silvani replacing them. The band recorded early demos with production team Sugar House that were released in 2015. These tracks caught the attention of XFM radio broadcaster John Kennedy, who referred them to the independent record label Dirty Hit
Dirty Hit is a British independent record label founded in December 2009 by Jamie Oborne, Brian Smith, and former England footballer, Ugo Ehiogu. It is currently based in West London, England. Their releases are distributed to digital platforms ...
. Pale Waves was subsequently signed to the label in 2017.
The band's first single under Dirty Hit, " There's a Honey", was released on 21 April 2017 to widespread acclaim. On 1 June 2017, the band played a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden supporting The 1975
The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer ...
on their North American tour. The band's second single, " Television Romance", was released on 16 August 2017, with its music video directed by The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy
The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and ...
. Healy later appeared on the cover of ''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' with Baron-Gracie for the 20 October 2017 issue of the magazine. Pale Waves embarked on their first North American headlining tour in November and December 2017, playing 21 shows over four weeks.
The band headlined ''DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
'' magazine's Class of 2018 shortlist for its December/January issue. On 7 November 2017, the band released the single "New Year's Eve", followed by "My Obsession" on 13 December 2017.
2018–2019: ''All the Things I Never Said'' and ''My Mind Makes Noises''
Baron-Gracie announced on 4 January 2018 viaTwitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that the band had started recording their debut album. On 8 January, it was announced that the band had been placed fifth in the BBC Sound of 2018 poll. Speaking to the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
(EP), '' All the Things I Never Said''.
Pale Waves won the NME Under the Radar Award at the NME Awards
The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine '' NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding ...
2018, and performed "There's a Honey" at the ceremony at London's O2 Academy Brixton on 14 February 2018. The band also received a nomination for Best Video for "Television Romance", but lost out to The Big Moon.
Pale Waves' debut EP, ''All the Things I Never Said'', was released digitally on 20 February 2018, followed by a 12-inch vinyl release on 16 March 2018. On 6 April 2018, it was announced that the band had signed to Interscope Records in a joint venture with Dirty Hit to release music in the United States. The third single from the band's debut album, "Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
", following "There's a Honey" and "Television Romance", was released on 15 May 2018. "Noises
Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...
" was released as the fourth single on 28 June 2018.
In an interview with ''NME'' magazine in early September 2018 the band revealed they are working on a new EP following the debut album. Baron-Gracie discussed how the new EP will lean towards "pop punk and rock'n'roll" and will touch on themes such as politics, acceptance and sexuality. The band's debut album, ''My Mind Makes Noises'', was released on 14 September 2018 and reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
.
2019–2022: ''Who Am I?''
Speaking to ''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' while at Radio 1's Big Weekend
BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (R1BW) (previously known as One Big Weekend, for 2012 as Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, and for 2018 as BBC Music's Biggest Weekend) is a British music festival run by the BBC's radio station. It is held once a year, in a ...
in May 2019, Baron-Gracie updated on the progress of the EP, saying the band " adso many songs" and that they would cut the amount to "five or six tracks" with the remainder that "will probably go on the album". However, in September 2019 the band reported they will no longer be doing an EP, rather "diving deep into the second album". On 17 October 2019 the band won the Q Best Breakthrough Act at the Q Awards 2019.
In January 2020 Pale Waves released the song "SkinDeepSkyHighHeartWide" in collaboration with Lawrence Rothman
Lawrence Rothman (born June 19, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. Their debut album '' The Book of Law'' was released on October 13, 2017 via Downtown Records/ Interscope. The album was produced by Rothman and Justin ...
for ''The Turning'' official motion picture soundtrack. The band were involved in a road accident in March 2020 on their way to support Halsey in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
. The group's tour bus rolled off the road, leaving them trapped in the bus. Minor injuries were sustained in the accident and the tour bus burnt out. Ciara Doran on Instagram described the incident, "We honestly thought we were going to die. The injuries will heal but this will stay with me and everyone involved for forever."
The band's second album, '' Who Am I?'', was announced on 10 November 2020 along with its lead single "Change
Change or Changing may refer to:
Alteration
* Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time
* Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period
* Metamorphosis, or change, ...
", which was named as Annie Mac's Hottest Record in the World
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
. With both Baron-Gracie and Doran being members of the LGBTQ+ community, they both aimed for the album to reflect that, with Baron-Gracie stating in an interview with DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
that she wanted to be "a voice for LGBTQ+ people". The album was partially recorded in Los Angeles with Rich Costey
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...
though COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
restrictions forced the band to return to the U.K. and finish the remainder of the album remotely. Of making an album during the pandemic, Baron-Gracie confessed that "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 to and find comfort in." ''Who Am I?'' was released on 12 February 2021 and reached number 3 on UK Albums Chart.
2022–present: ''Unwanted''
The band's third studio album, '' Unwanted'', was released on 12 August 2022.Musical style
Pale Waves have been described asindie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
, indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
, synth-pop, pop-punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...
, pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
, dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
, and pop. The band have cited artists such as The Blue Nile
The Blue Nile was a Scottish band which originated in Glasgow. The group's early music was built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured guitar more prominently. Following early cham ...
, Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
, The Cranberries
The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...
, Cocteau Twins, The 1975
The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer ...
, Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne as influences. Baron-Gracie has stated, "I love a lot of '80s artists like Prince and Madonna. ' Purple Rain' is one of my favorite songs of all time. But I love The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...
. I love songs that give you melodies that you can sing at any time, but within those melodies, there are things that break your heart." In an interview with ''The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', Baron-Gracie cited Dolores O'Riordan as her main vocal influence, saying: "I love The Cranberries. They were amazing. I definitely looked up to Dolores O’Riordan. She has one of my favourite voices of all time. She gave off that attitude – she was totally herself. I loved her fashion sense, she was such a cool person".
For their second album, ''Who Am I?'', Baron-Gracie cited country artists The Chicks
The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Em ...
and Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...
as influences, particularly on "the melodic side of herecord."
Band members
Current members * Heather Baron-Gracie – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards * Ciara Doran – drums, keyboards, synthesizers, programming * Hugo Silvani – lead guitar, keyboards * Charlie Wood – bass guitar, keyboards Former members * Ben Bateman – lead guitar * Ryan Marsden – bass TimelineDiscography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
As featured artist
Promotional singles
Music videos
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
* * {{authority control 2014 establishments in England British indie pop groups Dream pop musical groups English indie rock groups English synth-pop groups Interscope Records artists Musical groups established in 2014 Musical groups from Manchester LGBT-themed musical groups Female-fronted musical groups Musical quartets Dirty Hit artists