Photo courtesy of Pale Waves
The music community has long debated how to describe Pale Waves’ sound.
The band has been called pop-punk, goth-punk, synth-pop, indie-pop or a hybrid gumbo of sorts. But not only does Pale Waves not exactly fit into any one category of music, they don’t want to.
“I think it is kind of subjective,” Baron-Gracie, Pale Waves' lead singer, says. “We take inspiration from so many different things – we love the ‘80s, but we also love modern pop. It’s hard to describe our sound.”
Pale Waves, then named Creek, formed in 2014 in Manchester when drummer Ciara Doran met Heather Baron-Gracie at BIMM Manchester. Upon enlisting more talent in the forms of bassist Charlie Wood and second guitarist, Hugo Silvani, the band captured the attention of an independent record label and popular band The 1975. Since then, the band has worked hard to earn their stripes and to narrow in on their sound.
While their music is out of this world, topics sung through Baron-Gracie’s enticingly high notes are down-to-earth and all-too-relatable. All The Things I Never Said sends you back in time to your worst heartbreak, so much so that you feel that twinge of a sob in your throat and can almost see the disco ball lights that flickered during that tragic prom breakup.
Perhaps one of the first things you recognize about Pale Waves is the vast difference in exterior versus interior. Baron-Gracie and Doran tout black lipstick, dark makeup and a retro-gothic-inspired fashion sense, while their music practically forces a light pop in your heel and pep in your step.
Just as many artists, particularly women, the band receives mutters here and there that their appearance doesn’t match their sound – something apparently critics can’t possibly wrap their mind around.
“By them saying that, it puts people in boxes,” Baron-Gracie says. “I don’t think you have to dress a certain way just because you play a style of music – it’s narrow-minded. It’s ridiculous.”
You can practically hear the shrug in her voice as she says, “Some people love it, some people hate it.”
Baron-Gracie is unapologetically honest, using real, painful experiences as inspiration. Pale Waves’ ironically upbeat tempos are odes to nostalgic heartbreak with an innocence that makes their sound so attractively genuine.
“I use music to help me survive,” she says simply.
“Noises”, off of the album My Mind Makes Noises, is perhaps one of the rawest songs the band has released. The song, like an open wound, is a vulnerable interpretation of insecurity and anxiety.
“That one was quite difficult,” Baron-Gracie says. “It’s such a sensitive subject, but I also didn’t want to offend anyone.”
It was one of the longest projects the band has worked on, as Baron-Gracie spent a good two months writing and rewriting it. Even though she would take time away from it, something about the song would always draw her back to continue onward.
Not every song is written in the same fashion. Pale Waves’ process varies, depending on what they’re working on.
“Sometimes I can write in the moment and other times I can take myself back to that time and place and write about it then,” Baron-Gracie says. “Or I can get over something and then write about it – that’s less hurtful.”
One song, however, was crafted a little differently. “There’s Honey” was produced by Matty Healy and George Daniels, members of The 1975 - their good friends, mentors and the tour’s headliners.
The 1975 has been credited for taking Pale Waves under their wing and pulling out their truest sound, an aspect of the band’s origination that can produce some scary pressure to be completely unique from their mentor’s music. There’s Honey has been dubbed the introduction to Pale Waves, as some people say it’s truly how the band took off.
“It’s pretty terrifying – your music is like your baby, so letting anyone else in – you really have to connect with them,” Baron-Gracie says. “With Matty and George, we really respect and love their band, so we really trusted them.”
The feeling is mutual, as Healy publicly praises Pale Waves and how much they’ve matured. The artists not only share mutual respect, but they’re good friends as well.
“It’s really inspiring watching The 1975 play every night,” Baron-Gracie said, a smile in her voice. “It encourages you and motivates you more – I want that for our band at some point.”
Pale Waves will open for The 1975 at EXPRESS LIVE! On May 14. Columbus eagerly awaits their arrival.
“We’re excited to come back! Columbus is always a good show,” Baron-Gracie says.
As for the future, Pale Waves is excited to experiment with their sound more, aiming at growing and producing more music within the next year. Maybe by that point, the community will have stopped trying to put a label on what their sound is and just enjoy the music.
Mallory Arnold is an assistant editor at CityScene Magazine. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
