PALE WAVES // ALL THE THINGS I NEVER SAID - EP REVIEW
LAST MONTH.. UPCOMING 'PALE WAVES' RELEASE THEIR DEBUT EP 'ALL THE THE THINGS I NEVER SAID'
PALE WAVES - ALL THE THINGS I NEVER SAID - EP
RELEASED - MONDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 | FRIDAY 16TH MARCH 2018 (LP RELEASE)
★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8/10)
Pale Waves sudden rise to indie pop stardom has been anything short of miraculous with an NME cover shoot, four songs on Spotify above one million streams and the Under the radar award at this year's NME awards. On top of this the band has been taken under the wing of Indie Pop king Matt Healy with Healy co-producing their first two singles and directing the second single 'Television Romance'.
Pale Waves first EP 'All The Things I never said' is everything we expected from the newcomers, it's happy upbeat music contrasts strongly with its lyrics giving it that 'happy sad' quality that has provided success for various bands throughout indie pop history. The first track on the EP 'New Year's Eve' ticks every box for a successful pop song, it's infectious chorus with its angsty love driven lyrics being backed by a track that wouldn’t be uncomfortable in an 80s teen movie. The song is exactly what we expected, and it is amazing that we would be able to recognise who's song this was without the band even having an album out.
'The Tide' is the second track on the Manchester quartets debut EP, right from the offset on this track I think it's almost impossible to not hear influence from Matt Healy with the unapologetic goth pop, the romanticised lyrics and 80s style synth pop. This track shows a real maturity for a band who have only recently burst onto the scene due to it being a real clean and pristine track something that is down to the bands label 'Dirty Hit' who also represent the likes of 'The 1975' and 'Wolf Alice'.
The two final tracks on the EP are 'My Obsession' and 'Heavenly' which pretty much sum up the band's sound, look and vibe in two songs. 'My Obsession' really brings out the emo pop in frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie, the lyrics are very honest and feel self-reflective when you hear Baron-Gracie singing its anthemic chorus. This song is Pale Waves at their best. 'Heavenly' the fourth and final song of the EP is song to add to your summer playlist with its 80s influenced track being supported with lyrics of nostalgia and love. The song sees almost a different side to the band, with the track providing more of a warming chart style pop straying away from the bands usual 'happy sad' music.
The start of 2018 has been just as good if not better for Pale Waves and my only concern is that they may struggle to fulfil the expectations and live up to the hype that has surrounded them in recent times. A debut EP with over four million streams is something to challenge that, only time will tell, one thing I do know is that I will be rooting for the latest addition to the indie pop scene.
STREAM: PALE WAVES - ALL THE THINGS I NEVER SAID: EP below:
Purchase 'All The Things I Never Said' here: