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Love Them or Hate Them, Pale Waves Are Unstoppable

Manchester pop quartet Pale Waves are aiming for world domination with their debut LP, My Mind Makes Noises, and with their current trajectory, they might just get there.

By Lizzie Manno for Paste

British pop quartet Pale Waves are one of very few bands to achieve a certain feat nowadays—they’ve managed to polarize listeners into either dedicated, passionate disciples or harsh, cynical critics. “I like it,” says Heather Baron-Gracie, the band’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist. “I feel like everyone can’t love us, so whoever doesn’t love us can hate us if they want.”

Some people say that polarizing reactions are a sign of a good artist. After all, a bad reaction is better than no reaction at all right? Others say the band are either on to something special, hence the expected envy, or there must be some argument of merit if enough haters share such commonly held critiques. Any time anyone sees a rare guitar band touch a level of commercial success, there seems to be an almost immediate backlash. Maybe that’s because the rock bands that top the charts really aren’t that great. Or perhaps it’s because fans of rock music are so tribal and they only want to rally around the bands they love. Or it might just be that they can’t fathom the idea of a guitar band making pure, unapologetic pop music—especially when it’s led by two badass women.

Either way, credit must be given where credit is due—Pale Waves’ rise in just a few short years is astounding and this is only the tip of the iceberg. As someone who follows British pop/rock newcomers quite religiously, it’s hard to think of another band who’s made an impact in America so quickly in the last few years since The 1975, who we’ll get to later. The band’s music videos have attracted millions of views and they’ve sold out headline shows across the U.S., all without even putting out a full-length record yet. The band’s crisp pop songs have won over countless hearts and minds with their dreamy guitars, silvery synths, timeless beats, funky bass lines, perfectly glossy pop vocals and hooks, hooks and more hooks.

Pale Waves made their first trip over to the states in March 2017, supporting arguably one of the biggest bands in the world, The 1975, in large venues like NYC’s Madison Square Garden and LA’s The Greek Theater. Since then, the band has played several American headline tours with another taking place this November. Their connection with the 1975 doesn’t stop there. The band’s forthcoming debut album was co-produced by The 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel (along with Jonathan Gilmore and Pale Waves’ Ciara Doran) and they also produced the group’s first two singles. Healy directed their video for “Television Romance” and he appeared on the cover of the NME alongside Pale Waves frontwoman and goth goddess Heather Baron-Gracie, styled in a similar jet-black manner and ready to freshly christen Pale Waves as the next big thing. Both bands are also signed to the same U.K. record label, Dirty Hit.

READ MORE HERE

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/09/love-them-or-hate-them-pale-waves-are-unstoppable.html?utm_source=PMNL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=180906

Photo by Brian Griffin

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