Pale Waves, ‘Smitten’ | The Album Story

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As we grow, we change.

A healthy, natural progression, each shift in who we are is informed by something. Whether it’s a person we meet, a decision we make, or a lesson we learn, so many things about the people we become can be attributed to our life experiences – something which Pale Waves’ vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie began to consider over the course of creating their fourth album.

As her band has evolved over the years, from the darkly lit pop of their debut full-length ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ to the anthemic pop-punk stylings of 2022’s ‘Unwanted’ – Heather has grown too. Learning more about herself, the person she once was, and the person she wants to become, as the Manchester outfit set a plan in action for their next era – she was feeling reflective.

Taking inspiration from the pages of her long-forgotten teenage diary, ‘Smitten’ is Pale Waves’ most candid statement to date. Opening themselves up to every possibility and trusting their gut, across its twelve tracks Heather and her bandmates are proving that there are truly no limits on what their band can be.

“With ‘Smitten’ we felt the freedom to try out various genres,” Heather starts.

“We’re not a band that just repeats the same record. With ‘Unwanted’, we wanted to make a live record. We wanted big, ambitious, anthemic songs to play live, and I look forward to those parts in the set every night. I didn’t want to write another record like that though, for various reasons. One of those was that I just didn’t feel a lot of anger anymore.”

With a reflective mindset and a reimagined sonic direction, as Pale Waves launch into their latest chapter, Rock Sound sat down with Heather to find out more about how ‘Smitten’ came to be.

THE SOUND

“I wanted the record to feel romantic, delicate, and feminine. We love jangly guitars, but we also love a huge chorus,” Heather starts.

“I adore artists like Hayley Williams, and she has such a powerful voice. I loved exploring that style on ‘Unwanted’, but I’ve learned that my voice is more like Dolores O’Riordan from The Cranberries. It wants to be Celtic-sounding, free, and fragile, rather than hitting those solid, huge notes.”

Trying out various styles and approaches for ‘Smitten’ before settling on a sound, as they contemplated their next step Pale Waves removed all restraints. Allowing whatever felt natural to flow, as the four-piece explored their sonic options, there was one idea they felt themselves coming back to. Wistful, romantic, and filled with retro-pop and gothic influences, that’s the sound ‘Smitten’ immerses us within.

“Whenever we release a record, we like to create a world that invites everyone in,” Heather nods.

“We always want to make it a whole identity, but with this record, I didn’t feel a lot of external influence. I was focused on making the music that I wanted to create, and I didn’t feel the pressure to give people what they wanted. This album was me writing music that I love, and if people love it, that’s cool. If they don’t, that’s fine too.”

Peeling back the layers of their sound and zoning in on the things that make them want to play and replay their favourite songs, an embrace of simplicity formed the foundation of ‘Smitten’.

“Some of my favourite artists are country artists, musicians like Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves,” Heather says.

“A lot of country music is stripped back to just the singer and an acoustic guitar. That way, you can focus on writing a great song without any of the excess. A lot of these songs were written that way. They started out with just me on an acoustic, or me and another person on an acoustic, and we built it up from there.”

THE LYRICS

Inspired by the atmosphere-building abilities of artists such as The Cure and Cocteau Twins, immersion became a central factor of Pale Waves’ fourth album. Fascinated by the feeling of hitting play on a record and getting sucked into its world for the next 45-or-so minutes, Heather was drawn towards a fresh, focused type of storytelling.

“Bands like The Cure create such a strong identity with their music, and Robert Smith’s songwriting, storytelling, voice, and aesthetic creates such a unique feeling,” she explains.

“It’s important for Pale Waves to create not only an identity, but a community. I want this band to be a safe space for people to allow themselves to be who they truly are.”

Noticing a growing amount of LGBTQIA+ fans gravitating towards her band, Heather began reflecting on stories of her own early queer relationships. Approaching lyric writing as though she was revisiting her teenage diary and reminiscing on past experiences, the songs on ‘Smitten’ have blossomed into some of her most confessional to date.

“The older I get, the more comfortable I feel in myself and the more confidence I have to express my experiences and be more open in my music,” the vocalist nods.

“It’s weird, because you wouldn’t go up to a stranger and ask for their darkest, deepest secrets, but when you create music, you’re almost expected to put them out into the world. The older I get though, the more comfortable I am in my own skin, and the more willing I am to be honest.”

Exploring the whole spectrum of emotions that come during the formative moments of first relationships, each song on ‘Smitten’ serves as a snapshot. From the album’s 80’s inspired opener ‘Glasgow’ – contemplating the reality of leaving a relationship that’s no longer serving either party – to the gothic notes of ‘Perfume’ – exploring the complexities of a fresh romance – it’s a rollercoaster of euphoria, confusion, and heartbreak, shaded by the perspective that comes with growth.

“It’s such a journey, and there are so many feelings that two people can go through together. I wanted to take people through the different experiences and different situations that I’ve been in, even if some of them are quite depressing,” Heather says.

“When you’re younger, everything seems like a huge deal, and everything is so dramatic. Reflecting on those situations now I’m older, I was able to criticise myself and realise when I had made mistakes. When you’re younger, you justify everything you do and back yourself no matter what. Now, I’m able to hold my hands up high and admit when I was wrong.”

THE COLLABORATORS

Learning over time that Pale Waves operate best when working alongside a tight circle of collaborators, when it came to figuring out who to join forces with to bring ‘Smitten’ to life, Simon Oscroft’s name quickly came up in conversation. 

“I don’t like to open up to strangers, and once I’ve made that connection with someone, I’ll want to work with them forever. I met Simon when we wrote ‘Seeing Stars’ together, and I instantly knew that I wanted to write the majority of the record with him,” Heather nods.

“As a writer and producer, he’s so talented, and he understands what I’m going for. His parents are British, he loves British music, and he’s very optimistic and positive. That’s what you need when you’re writing music, because it can get quite challenging and intense. He has fun with it, and he makes me feel comfortable enough to open up.”

With London-based producer Iain Berryman also playing an integral role in the record, the band assembled a team of creatives filled with their own unique ideas, but completely open to discussion and compromise. No party feeling pushed to commit to anything they weren’t 100 per cent confident in, each brought their own essence to the process. 

“Half of ‘Smitten’ was written in LA with Simon, and half was written in the UK,” Heather explains.

“Eventually, we had all these songs, but a lot of them still sounded like demos. We went to Eastbourne with the intention of re-recording all the tracks that I did with Simon, but when we did that, it felt like the magic disappeared. I couldn’t recreate what we did in that moment, so we ended up just using the original recordings. They sound like demo vocals, but I love how that because I’m not thinking about it too much. When you go into the vocal booth knowing that something is going to be on the record for life, that pressure can get to you. It can drain the emotion from your vocals.”

THE TITLE & THE ARTWORK

For Heather, it is integral that each collection of songs is bound by a word or phrase that perfectly represents the world Pale Waves are creating. Often the first introduction those who listen to the record will have to the universe it exists within, when ‘Smitten’ came into her mind – she knew it was the perfect choice.

“I went through multiple names, but I base a lot of my decisions on gut feeling and instincts,” the 29-year-old explains.

“When I landed on ‘Smitten’, I just got that feeling. The whole record is about these queer experiences with multiple women in my life, and at one point I felt smitten for all of them. I wanted a word that was timeless, that wasn’t modern, and that felt English as well. ‘Smitten’ was perfect.”

A single word that brings together the record’s shiny, romantic aesthetic, when it came to defining the visuals of ‘Smitten’, Heather was determined to find something with an equally strong impact.  

“Originally, I wanted to be lying in the English countryside as the sun was setting. I wanted it to feel quite lonely, but romantic,” Heather says.

“My girlfriend creates all the visuals with me, and her ideas are usually way better than mine. She said, ‘You can’t just have that, that’ll be boring. Why don’t you have a chandelier hanging above you?’ Immediately, I thought that was genius, so we made it happen. Somehow, it looks even better than it did in my head. Out of everything this band has done, the visuals for ‘Smitten’ are easily my favourite.”

THE FUTURE

Reflecting on her younger self with the clarity and perspective that comes with maturity, whether it serves as a comfort to others or not – ‘Smitten’ has undoubtedly healed something within Heather. 

Closing the chapter on certain parts of her life and confidently asserting herself as a voice for the queer community in the process, Heather hopes that ‘Smitten’ can now bring some comfort to those who need it. Assuring that no one is alone in their brightest or darkest moments, it’s a reminder that despite how isolating the world can sometimes feel, there will always be universal experiences that connect us.

“Being queer is such a journey within itself, and there are so many challenges that come with it,” Heather finishes.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t feel like I had anyone queer to look up to or to confide in. Now, I’m just being myself, but if I’m able to help the queer community and give them representation that they can connect with and relate to… that’s amazing. We need as much support and representation as we can get, and that message is so important to Pale Waves and what we’ve created here.”

“From day one, we’ve always had the drive for Pale Waves to be as big as it can be,” she continues, considering how ‘Smitten’ slots into the band’s wider story.

“We’ve always had huge ambitions, and I don’t think any of us want to settle. I don’t like settling for anything or anyone, so there’s always a push. We love writing music, we love performing it, and we love touring. We’ve accomplished a lot, but I’ll always want more from this. We need to go to that next level, and honestly – I think this is the album to take us there.”