EP Review: Pale Waves – All The Things I Never Said

Named by this site as one to watch in 2018  Manchester formed quartet Pale Waves have just released their highly anticipated debut EP ‘All The Things I’ve Never Said’ and it’s a great taster of what they have to offer.

‘All The Things I’ve Never Said’ follows the double A-side release of their tracks ‘There’s A Honey’ and ‘Television Romance’ and while the EP as a collective has just been released, three out of the four tracks have been premiered on BBC Radio 1 over the past 3 months, ‘Heavenly’ is the closing track and the only one that remained unreleased despite being a set-list staple over the past year.

Opening with the massive hit ‘New Years Eve’ the tracks exciting and uplifting synth lead instrumentals are juxtaposed by the somewhat dark lyricism reflecting a news years eve gone wrong from the perspective of frontwomen Heather, the shimmering background chimes are reminiscent of the festive period while showcasing their immense attention to detail.

‘The Tide’ is a track that jumps straight into the action with it’s clean 80’s style riff which alongside light drums creates the perfect pop backdrop for Heathers joyfully snappy vocals. The lyrics are slightly more cheerful in comparison to NYE and is about being head over heels in love to the point she declares ‘We could live for nothing baby I don’t care’. It’s a catchy track about young love that you will not be able to resist tapping your foot along to.

‘My Obsession’ is a song that Heather has come out and said is based on her Grandparents love story and is one I feel has set the bar very high up for these guys. The instrumentals are punchy and run really smooth, again with their classic 80’s inspired synth driven builds with some shoegaze elements thrown in for good measure. However, it’s Heather’s songwriting capabilities that really steal the show. The way she writes really captivates what it means to fall in love and grow old while still keeping the lyrics catchy. The line ‘Your eyes, so frail burdened with sadness such a pure heart lost in the madness’ stands out upon every listen.

‘Heavenly’ is definitely one of their more stronger live moments. However, while it’s not as strong as the others on this EP it’s still demonstrating their confidence in their nostalgic yet fresh sound that they have spent the last four years crafting, there is a great guitar solo about three-quarters of the way through that steals the limelight, I really enjoy the moments in pale waves tracks where the vocals step back and the instruments get to shine.

Overall a really solid debut release from these guys, their album is in the works and it’s speculated it will be released later this year as tracks from that have started joining their setlists exciting many fans.

At the moment this EP is only available for digital purchase and streaming, however, it’s set to be released on vinyl next month, you can pre-order that via the Dirty Hit store.

Pale Waves are currently on DIY’s sold out ‘Class of 2018’ tour alongside Bloxx and Our Girl, If you missed out not to worry they have just announced their headline show at Londons ‘Heaven’ on the 24th of May before their string of UK festival dates including slots at Community and TRNSMT. Click HERE for all the details and tickets for upcoming shows.