SINGLE REVIEW: Pale Sailor – Undoing // Undone

‘…there is a high degree of care that evidently goes into their work, and the manner in which these musicians understand their respective instruments leads to magical results…’

With bands such as Danger Dog, Vienna, and Student Slasher Film making their mark on your favourite local venues, it is an incredibly exciting time to be an emo fan in the UK. Another member of this burgeoning scene is Sheffield three-piece, Pale Sailor, who have just released a brand new double-single, ‘Undoing // Undone’.

‘Undoing’ layers jagged guitar riffing and twinkling melodies over surprisingly punchy grooves, as the band lean into the punky, math rock side of their midwest emo sound. Guitarist Eamonn Hall utilises complex melodic patterns without ever sounding excessive or self-indulgent, whilst the rhythmic backbone of Anya Bellamy and Henry Veitch offers a brilliant sense of weight to contrasting the sparkling showmanship of the guitar melodies. It’s a snappy and delightfully infectious affair that fits perfect into the somewhat increasingly maximalist zeitgeist emo.

Conversely, ‘Undone’ offers a beautifully contrasting moment of pensive melancholy, with Bellamy’s vocals now draped over little more than intricately performed acoustic guitar work. It’s a wonderfully tender performance, with the nuanced complexity of the acoustic backing melding perfectly with Bellamy’s enchanting yet humbly performed vocals, elevating the track from a simple stripped-back number to a softly cinematic moment of musical bliss.

It is perhaps thanks to the often whimsical nature of midwest emo that it is easy to forget many of its members are truly talented musicians with a great understanding of their craft. Yet that fact is impossible to ignore upon listening to Pale Sailor; there is a high degree of care that evidently goes into their work, and the manner in which these musicians understand their respective instruments leads to magical results. Pale Sailor represent another incredibly exciting part of an incredibly exciting UK scene.

For Fans Of: Origami Angel, saturdays at your place, With Sails Ahead, Student Slasher Film, Danger Dog

Featured photo credit belongs to Callum Mitchell.

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify