This album starts out with “Eighteen”, and as to be expected it’s a very mechanical and chilly intro. But lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie picks things up nicely with a slew of legitimate Pop hooks. Like, this is barely even Indie-Pop or Synth- Pop, this is straight up Pop. But it’s genially catchy and youthful, and despite their image, I can’t shake just how hopeful this track is at times. It’s got big Synths, a strong dance groove, and that same nocturnal feel that they’re known for. It’s obviously not going to be for everyone, but holy hot damn is it catchy and memorable. Now, another thing that may just get on some peoples nerves is just how sparkling and pristine this is. Much like their buddies the 1975 this is just so flashy at the end of the day. “There’s A Honey" on the other hand is much steamier and much more dangerous sounding, and honestly I actually sort of really like that. There’s also a massive amount of retro appeal to this, some of these synths are serious throwback material. This may be the lowest of the low for Indie Pop, but in moments like this, it’s scratching all the right itches. Now right off the bat “Noises” is much slower. But honestly, I’m not feeling Heather’s vocals here nearly as much. Like, she sounded like a damn star on some of the early tracks. But thankfully, some of the retro synths and the nocturnal grooves give this one plenty of teeth. But I just can’t get over how iffy her performance is, outside of this gigantic hook that is. But I can’t help but stress, if you’re into retro Pop with a strong synth edge, you gotta check this out. But I have to say, I can’t deal with just ridiculously cheesy some of these lyrics are. But if you can stomach their buddies The 1975, you’re going to be just fine diving headfirst into this. Because at the end of the day, these guys do know how to write a catchy tune. You just have to turn off your mind a little bit, because these lyrics at times are awful. On the other hand, “Loveless Girl” is much more modern with very sleek production and some well placed autotune vocals. And man, I have to give these guys credit because this hook is ridiculous. But the very cringe-worthy and ridiculously cheesy lyrics continue. Like a lot of their contemporaries, Pale Waves focus completely on young love and heartache, which is fine. They do pull it off nicely too, as ridiculous as some of these bars are. Like, if Pale Waves was around for the Emo boom of the early 2000’s, they would have been gigantic.
On the other hand, “Drive” may be the most upfront track here, with this absolutely ginormous beat and an incredibly heavy synth sound. But here, it’s so much more massive and Heather sounds at her most confident and up-front. And yea, their lyrical palette is running a little dry, I do feel like I’ve heard all of these lyrics somewhere else here. But man, this one has so much punch to it that I can’t say no to it. And it’s in moments like this that the band’s pristine production really ends up coming off so much more likable. But when it comes to tracks like “When Did I Lose It All”, I feel like I’m quickly running out of nice things to say. A ballad is one thing, but this track is just so cheesy. This has been an album of fairly tasteful throwbacks. And sure, this track still has yet another very catchy chorus. But there’s just way too much of this that I just can’t help but cringe at. I just feel like this is every complaint I’ve had here wrapped up in a few short minutes. With “She” we get another very slow, overly emotional track that I’m just not as into. But this one doesn’t even have that big beat and catchy chorus. Honestly, the throwback synths are still great. But to be honest, this is just so whiny. There has been plenty of truly cringe-worthy lyrics here, but when Pale Waves are at their most confident they can pull it off. But here, they sound like children. I do dig the guitar solo, however, and really wish we got some bigger and more charismatic moments like this. “One More Time” at the very least gets a little more upbeat and carefree. But with this track, I’m starting to look for my white flag to surrender. Instrumentally this one works wonderfully, and I would still rather listen to this than like, the new CHRVCHES album. But I’ll be damned if these same “Woe Is Me” tracks about young love getting older by the minute. But Pale Waves do keep rolling me back in with tons of shimmering, cleanly produced Synth Pop anthems. “Television ROmance” is a really fantastic comeback of sorts. This one is a little different compared to some of the more dreary tunes that were getting old. This is still catchy and oddly enough does come off a bit hopeful. Not only that, but we get a solid guitar riff, soaring synths, and Heather is back to her more confident performances.
But while there’s been plenty of very tasteful throwbacks here, “Red” is the furthest thing from tasteful. I feel like this driving riff has been done seemingly countless times. And this is easily one of Heather’s most timid performances of the album. But fuck, how do Pale Waves continue to reel me back in with these big beefy beats that are just so catchy and have me grooving so hard. But everything else here is just so average, painfully average. There’s no reason this could be a decent Synth-Pop album, so many of these tracks have so much potential. On the other hand, “Kiss” sounds like a straight-up Cure cover. And at this point, I'll take it, man. I love the playful, light synths that are flying through this track and just how joyous and carefree it all comes off. It actually really adds to how genuinely catchy this album gets at times. But man, they do really need to start branching out lyrically, big time. But with tracks like “Black”, all of that potential comes blaring out all at once. This is easily one of the most confident tracks here, and Pale Waves sound like an entirely new band. There’s just so much buildup to this absolutely gigantic, triumphant chorus and I love it. And while this one is just as heartbroken and sort of whiny at times. And it’s just so simple like it even sounds like the band has been holding out on us. It’s almost frustrating how good this is. Now, this album ends off with “Karl”, and this one is rough. This track has so much potential. Pale Waves here show more emotion and genuine heart than they have this entire album. But I feel like this could have been this big, epic, emotional sendoff. But instrumental this is just so bland. Like I said, they took a risk here, and it comes off so emotional and raw, which is great. But this acoustic approach was not the way to go.
Rating: 7.1/10
Give a Listen To: “Eighteen”, “Came In Close”, “Black”, “Television Romance”
Least Favorite Track: “She”
Genre: Synth Pop / Indie Pop / Goth-Pop
Overall Thoughts: Oh my. The potential is so real. You know, this drives me nuts. When Pale Waves are on, they’re outdoing their contemporaries. Hell, in a lot of ways, I would rather listen to some of the singles here than the ones their buddies The 1975 have been dropping. But as this album unfolds it quickly becomes so obvious that Pale Waves lyrical arsenal is laughably thin. And more often than not, they just end up coming off like imitators. There are countless catchy choruses and throwback synths, and some of the better Indie Pop tunes of the year. But Pale Waves still have a ways to go.
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