With a softer, more vulnerable look representative of their new, positive mindset, Who Am I? singles “Change” and “She’s My Religion” flip the Pale Waves world upside-down with their acoustic-guitar-laden alternative pop rock energy. Made up of stories of heartbreak from Heather’s friends, “Change” was first played as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record In The World on BBC Radio 1 while “She’s My Religion” is a non-typical love letter that sees Heather embracing her sexuality to represent a queer relationship without hiding behind the clichés of oversexualization or playful experimentation. Who Am I? – the follow-up to the band’s 2018 debut album My Mind Makes Noises which amassed over 70 million streams worldwide – opens up a bold new chapter for Pale Waves, who are confidently creating a safe space for people to be themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin by inspiring inclusivity and self-discovery in listeners by exploring themes of mental health, growing pains, sexuality, and falling in love. Pale Waves made an immediate splash when they debuted on the music scene, hitting the Top 10 on UK Album Chart, winning the NME Under The Radar award, making the BBC Sound of 2018 shortlist, touring with fellow Dirty Hit label mates and mentors The 1975 as well as Muse and The Cure, and appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers. They have performed at Reading, Leeds, Lollapalooza, SXSW, and Outside Lands Festival and have received praise from NPR, AV Club, The Fader, Stereogum, Nylon, Billboard, Ladygunn, and more. The band recently released their new single “Easy” alongside its glossy, Tim Burton-inspired music video – the third single from their upcoming album Who Am I?.
Who Am I? acts as the Pale Waves manifesto, inspiring inclusivity, self-discovery, and the notion of being whoever the hell you want to be. On the making of the album, Heather says “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 recorded primarily in Los Angeles alongside producer Rich Costey (Muse, Foo Fighters, Sigur Rós), before the Coronavirus lockdown forced the making of the album to go virtual, with Heather remaining in LA and the rest of the band returning home to record their parts in their bedrooms, sending them back to LA to be added into the record. Pale Waves is comprised of front woman Heather Baron-Gracie (she/her); drummer Ciara Doran (they/them); guitarist Huge Silvani (he/him) and bassist Charlie Wood (he/him).
Heather Baron-Gracie on the meaning behind “Easy”:
“Love can change your whole perspective, not only of yourself but of life too. It’s the most heartfelt moment throughout the album and it is a genuine, feel-good love song. Originally, ‘Easy’ was a piano ballad but I wanted to put more energy behind the instrumentation to enhance how love can uplift, drive, and inspire you hence the dramatic musical change.”
Heather Baron-Gracie on the inspiration for the music video:
“The video visually brings to life one of the main lines of the chorus ‘you keep the lights on for me’. The whole video’s theme is a wedding, I wore a wedding dress throughout and we shot the video in an old, abandoned church. I am really inspired by the gothic medieval aesthetic and, at the time I was thinking of the video, I was watching a lot of Tim Burton films. His creativity really inspires me.”
You can connect with Pale Waves via the following links. Photo credit: Jordan Curtis-Hughes.
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