Pale Waves
Pale Waves are an English rock band from Manchester, 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.[1] Pale Waves's early work is often described as 80s-inspired indie rock or synth-pop; their second and third albums, however, owe more to the pop-punk genre.
Pale Waves
Manchester, England
2014–present
- Heather Baron-Gracie
- Ciara Doran
- Hugo Silvani
- Charlie Wood
- Ben Bateman
- Ryan Marsden
After signing a record deal with Dirty Hit 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. 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.
Musical style[edit]
Pale Waves have been described as indie pop,[45][46] indie rock,[47][48] synth-pop,[49][50] goth-pop,[51] pop-punk,[47][52] pop rock,[53][54] dream pop,[48] and pop.[55] The band have cited artists such as The Blue Nile, Prince, The Cranberries, Cocteau Twins, The 1975, Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne as influences.[56][57][58][59][60] 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. 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."[61] In an interview with The Irish Times, 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".[62]
For their second album, Who Am I?, Baron-Gracie cited country artists The Chicks and Kacey Musgraves as influences, particularly on "the melodic side of [the] record."[63] Their third album, Unwanted, was inspired by female rock artists Courtney Love and Liz Phair, and pop-punk band Paramore.[41]
