ALBUM REVIEW: Pale Waves – Smitten

‘…It’s still style over substance for Pale Waves, but at least the margin has narrowed somewhat…‘

Earlier this year, returning to a band previously reviewed negatively heralded surprising results; the latest offering from Fontaines D.C. has ended up in regular rotation. Once more in the spirit of second chances, we return to the indie pop four-piece Pale Waves, whom have proven previously to be quite the antithesis of what Vinyl Fantasy Reviews judges as ‘good music’.

Now onto their fourth record, and still one of the high flying members of the Dirty Hit label, Pale Waves have developed quite the passionate following; big hits such as ‘Television Romance‘ saw them tour alongside the likes of Muse early in their career, and since then they’ve become incredibly popular headline artists in their own right. Unfortunately, even with their latest effort ‘Smitten‘, the reason for this popularity remains elusive.

‘Smitten‘ does, at the very least, offer a much needed improvement on the band’s sense of sonic identity. For the first time, what Pale Waves have to offer feels less like a replication of ideas, and more so a unique conglomeration of their influences, even if said sonic influences are obvious to the ear. The melding of indie rock, 90’s alternative, and goth pop carries a heavy nostalgic sentiment to it, both in terms of simple sonic styling, and in terms of the lovestruck teenage emotions that run deep throughout this record; ‘Smitten‘ truly feels like a mixtape burned onto a cassette for your high school crush.

The primary issue with this is that this leaves the album with almost zero variation. Just as with the band’s past releases, each track on this record does little to stand out compared to the rest; the musicality, the lyricism, and the delivery all feels too close to identical across the span of ‘Smitten‘. Whilst there is a refreshing sense of confidence to be found in vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie’s openly sapphic lyricism, she explores very few facets of attraction and love, leaving the themes here feeling unrealised, repetitive, and shallow.

This is particularly a problem when the lyrics are factored in. Baron-Gracie has demonstrated little progression since the band’s debut release, as what once felt youthfully charming now feels immature and clumsy. It is tolerable for the first tracks on the record, but by the time you have reached the half-way point, the surface-level metaphors and repeated sickly-sweet declarations of affection become a little grating to listen to. It is incredibly frustrating, because retaining a handful of these tracks whilst making sure they are interspersed with tracks painted from different emotional palettes would make the issue non-existent; a cheesy romance is good for the soul, but too much ends up making you feel violently ill.

Whilst the song-writing is one-note across the board, nothing is outwardly bad or unlistenable. The melodies are at worst inoffensive, and at best somewhat catchy, with the band knowing how to pen a hook. The musical performances, whilst not engaging in any mind-blowing showmanship, do their jobs effectively; the band’s clear vision for a sound and aesthetic means that the pure musicality at the end of the record is cohesive and complimentary to the themes. If you’re seeking an album that makes you feel like the first time you clapped eyes on the love of your life, especially for women attracted to women, then this record is well worth your time.

If you are seeking anything more from your music, however, then ‘Smitten‘ is not really worth your time. This record offers the best musical experience to date from Pale Waves, fixing some issues that have plagued the band such as their lack of personal identity, but still is bogged down by a lack of creativity, substance, and ambition; not a single moment here will make you think ‘wow’, but plenty will make you think ‘that was fine’. It’s still style over substance for Pale Waves, but at least the margin has narrowed somewhat.

RATING: 58/100 – Mostly Decent

For Fans Of: The 1975, Crawlers,

Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here.

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Instagram // Spotify // Twitter