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Smitten (Pale Waves album)

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Smitten
The album cover depicts lead singer of Pale Waves, Heather Baron-Gracie, wearing dark clothing and lying on her back in a grassy field at night. She is looking up at a glowing chandelier mysteriously suspended above her head.
Studio album by
Pale Waves
Released27 September 2024 (2024-09-27)
Genre
Length40:16
LabelDirty Hit
Producer
  • Simon Oscroft
  • Iain Berryman
  • Hugo Silvani
Pale Waves chronology
Unwanted
(2022) 		Smitten
(2024)
Singles from Smitten
  1. "Perfume"
    Released: 12 June 2024[1]
  2. "Glasgow"
    Released: 12 July 2024[2]
  3. "Gravity"
    Released: 15 August 2024[3]
  4. "Thinking About You"
    Released: 13 September 2024[4]
  5. "Kiss Me Again"
    Released: 24 September 2024[5]

Smitten is the fourth studio album by English rock band Pale Waves. It was released on 27 September 2024,[6][7] via the independent record label Dirty Hit.[8]

Production

Writing

In late 2023, Kerrang! magazine asked Pale Wave's lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie about the album that would become Smitten, to which she replied: "All of my attention and energy is going into writing and recording our best album yet. Ultimately, that's about building a world that feels like Pale Waves, while also feeling completely different to anywhere we've inhabited before. We're creating another universe for our fans to explore, and for us to live in for a moment."[9]

When Baron-Gracie began to work on the record, she decided to take inspiration from the "pages of [her] long-forgotten teenage diary".[10] This encouraged her to thematically focus Smitten on "the excitement and euphoria as well as the confusion and pain of early queer relationships".[10] Baron-Gracie ultimately welcomed the chance to revisit the past, as it allowed her to realise that as people mature, they become more open to reflecting on parts of their lives that they may have previously blocked out.[11]

Recording

The album was co-produced by Simon Oscroft, Iain Berryman, and Hugo Silvani (lead guitarist of Pale Waves). Previously, Oscroft had helped produce songs by OneRepublic, the Naked and Famous, and the Aces,[12] whereas Berryman had co-produced fellow Dirty Hit artist Beabadoobee's album Beatopia (2022).[13] When asked by Rock Sound how the band decided to work with Oscroft, Baron-Gracie revealed: "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 ... As a writer and producer, he's so talented, and he understands what I'm going for. ... He's very optimistic and positive. That's what you need when you're writing music, because it can get quite challenging and intense."[14]

Half of the album was recorded in Los Angeles with Oscroft overseeing the process, whereas the other half was completed in London under the guidance of Berryman and Silvani.[14][15] Initially, Pale Waves planned to re-record the tracks they had worked on with Oscroft once they had returned to England. However, when they attempted to do so, Baron-Gracie felt that the "magic [had] disappeared" and that the new versions lacked the raw emotion of the originals. To resolve this, the band ultimately chose to incorporate the vocal takes Baron-Gracie had recorded with Oscroft into the final mix of the album.[14]

Music and lyrics

The image depicts Heather Baron-Gracie performing on stage
The songs on Smitten were largely inspired by Heather Baron-Gracie's (pictured) past experiences with "the excitement and euphoria as well as the confusion and pain of early queer relationships".[10]

Pale Waves intended Smitten to be a "romantic, delicate, and feminine" record, whose jangly guitars and powerful choruses reflected the band's "retro-pop and gothic influences".[14] For this reason, many critics have noted sonic similarities between Smitten and the band's debut album, My Mind Makes Noises (2018).[16][17][18][19][20] The music on Smitten was also inspired by the simplicity of country music artists like Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves, whose recordings often feature only acoustic guitars and vocals.[14] In terms of singing style, Heather Baron-Gracie wanted her vocals to be less intense than those featured on Unwanted. She therefore gravitated toward the work of Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of The Cranberries: "I've learned that my voice is more like [O’Riordan]," she noted in an interview. "It wants to be Celtic-sounding, free, and fragile, rather than hitting those solid, huge notes."[14]

Smitten opens with "Glasgow", which lyrically discusses the dilemma of "leaving someone because you know it's no good for either of you anymore".[21] Musically, the track has been described as "bittersweet" and "'80s-sounding", with a "soaring" chorus.[21]

"Built around bright, dreamy guitar strums", "Gravity" discusses the "torment of being dragged in different directions by a lover who can't choose between their relationship or their religion".[22] In an interview with The Honey Pop, Baron-Gracie explained: "It's about my relationship that I had with a woman who was struggling with her religion and her sexuality and, in the end, chose Jesus over me."[11] The soundscape of "Gravity" has been described as "shimmery" and "guitar-forward", with comparisons made to the music of the Cure and Cocteau Twins.[3]

"Perfume", co-written by Baron-Gracie and Oscroft, explores the excitement of new love and the "complexity that comes with the beginning of a relationship".[23] The first portion of the song Baron-Gracie wrote was the chorus, and though she initially worried that the lyrics were simple, she decided embraced their catchiness, likening them to the music of the Spice Girls.[11] Prominently featuring "jangly, rhythmic guitar" and vocals "reminiscent of The Cranberries", "Perfume" sees "the band's gothic impulses coming to the fore".[24] Several publications – such as Atwood Magazine, NME, and Under the Radar – have further argued that the track evokes the retro-pop sound of the band's early releases.[23][25][26]

Title and cover

When thinking of a potential title for the album, Baron-Gracie wanted to use a single, definitive word that could capture the record's lyrical, musical, and thematic essence. Since the album centers around queer romance, she ultimately decided on the word "smitten." Baron-Gracie felt the word not only captured the album's aesthetic but also had a "timeless" quality and a distinctly English charm. When the album title was settled upon, the band then turned their attention to the record's cover. In an interview with Rock Sound Baron-Gracie explained that the final result was conceived by her and her partner, Kelsi Luck:

Originally, I wanted to be lying in the English countryside as the sun was setting. I wanted it to feel quite lonely, but romantic. ... [Luck] 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.[14]

Promotion and singles

On 24 May 2024, Pale Waves performed at the 100 Club in London under the pseudonym "Perfume" as part of Dork magazine's "Dork Night Out" event series; at this concert, they debuted the song of the same name.[27][28] "Perfume" was later released as the first single from Smitten, debuting on BBC Radio 1's "New Music Show" with Jack Saunders on 12 June 2024.[1] A video for the track, directed by Georgie Cowan-Turner, was also released at this time, alongside an announcement about the album itself.[29][30] The decision to release "Perfume" as the album's lead single was, according to Baron-Gracie, because "it just was the star of the show from the get-go. Everyone kind of thought the same. Everyone responded so well to 'Perfume' [and it] just felt right.[31] Upon its release, the single peaked at number 13 on Billboard Japan's Hot Overseas chart.[32] Blood Records later issued a limited-edition apple-shaped 7" record featuring "Perfume" on the a-side.[33][34]

The second single from the album, "Glasgow", was released on 12 July 2024, along with an accompanying music video, which features Heather Baron-Gracie packing a suitcase and driving off in a car, all while clad in a wedding dress.[21] The video, directed by Baron-Gracie, was filmed on a small budget and employed a production crew of only four people.[31][35] The third single, "Gravity", was released 15 August 2024. The music video for the song, also directed by Cowan-Turner, focuses on Baron-Gracie and her real-life partner Kelsi Luck "spend[ing] a tender day together".[3][36] The album's fourth single, "Thinking About You", was released on 13 September 2024, along with a video, directed by Luck.[4][37] On 24 September, 2024, Pale Waves released "Kiss Me Again" to build further anticipation for the album's then-imminent release.[5]

Pale Waves performed pre-release shows at the Gorilla bar in Manchester on 24 September and at the HMV Empire venue in Coventry on 25 September.[38][39] After an official release show at Rough Trade East on 27 September,[40] the band then performed a series of in-house acoustic shows at select record stores in the weeks that followed.[41] To further promote Smitten, Pale Waves also organised a headline tour of the UK, which is scheduled to run from 3 to 18 October 2024.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[42]
Metacritic77/100[43]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[18]
DIY[17]
Dork[44]
Hot Press[45]
Kerrang![46]
The Line of Best Fit[19]
NME[47]
The Skinny[20]
Slant Magazine[48]
The Telegraph[49]

Smitten was met with mostly positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the release has an average score of 77 based on eight reviews, meaning that it has received "generally favorable reviews".[43] Fellow music aggregator AnyDecentMusic? likewise gave the album an average score of 7.7/10, based on seven reviews.[42]

Dork magazine awarded Smitten five out of five stars and called it "an album of soaring ambition and unstoppable pop hooks ready to be the go-to coming-of-age album of 2024".[44] DIY magazine argued that Smitten marks a return to the band's 80s-inspired synth-pop sound while also showcasing a more mature, autobiographical approach to songwriting when compared to their previous work. The magazine ultimately gave the record four out of five stars.[17] Josh Abraham of Clash wrote that "some may see this body of work and think the band have gone back to their roots, and others can see they are trying new soundscapes and lyricism, for this writer, it's both. That is ultimately the beauty of Smitten."[18] Edwin McFee of Hot Press wrote that the album was "brimming with bangers" and that "fans of '90s indie-pop will fall head over heels for" the record.[45]

Callum Foulds of The Line of Best Fit awarded the album seven out of ten stars, writing that "Smitten is Pale Waves returning to the sound that made them such an enigmatic new face in British music. What is different this time around is the sharpness at which the band pulls off this same sound. ... [The record] is the sound of a band infatuated with their art, ready for the future, and excited to be a part of it."[19] Ali Shutler of NME magazine awarded the album four out of five stars. The writer appreciated that Smitten does not seem indebted to the style of other musicians (something the band's previous records were criticised for), and as a result, it "sounds like a Pale Waves record".[47] Dylan Tuck of The Skinny awarded the album four out of five stars and complimented the record for pleasantly synthesising the "silken synth-pop" style of My Mind Makes Noises with the "punkish-pop" that characterised Who Am I? and Unwanted.[20]

Emma Wilkes of Kerrang awarded the album three out of five stars, writing that with this record, "the Manchester quartet have found a way to own their individuality. Gone is the slightly sickly Avril Lavigne worship of 2021's Who Am I? and 2022's Unwanted, replaced by a velvety, dreamy alt. pop sound that feels both more natural and more distinct". At the same time, Wilkes critiqued the album for its saccharine lyrical content and an "occasionally ... simplistic" sound.[46] Similarly, Tom Williams of The Telegraph wrote in a three-out-of-five star review that Smitten is Pale Waves "as you've always known them; painting big feelings in broad brush strokes, wearing their influences on their sleeve and prioritising power chords and festival-ready hooks over nuance and specificity. ... But too often, the band lean on simplistic similes [or] metaphors ... that keep them at arm's length. Four albums in, the band are still no closer to honing in on a sound that’s recognizably theirs."[49]

Commercial performance

Smitten was released on 27 September 2024 by the independent record label Dirty Hit on vinyl, CD, cassette, and as a digital download.[50] In addition to the standard LP release, Dirty Hit also partnered with Rough Trade, HMV, Blood Records, and a number of independent UK record stores to a series of limited color variants.[33][51][52][53]

Upon its release, Smitten debuted at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart (Official Charts Company). In the UK, the album also charted at number 3 on the Independent Albums Chart, number 5 on the Official Record Store Chart, and number 4 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. On the Scottish Albums Chart, Smitten debuted at number 4, making it the band's fourth consecutive Top 10 album in Scotland.[54] In Japan, the album peaked at number 83 on Billboard Japan's Download Albums chart.[55]

Track listing

Smitten track listing[15]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Glasgow"
  • Heather Baron-Gracie
  • Simon Oscroft
  • Oscroft
  • Iain Berryman
3:34
2."Not a Love Song"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Berryman
2:47
3."Gravity"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Hugo Silvani
  • Silvani
  • Berryman
3:35
4."Thinking About You"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Oscroft
  • Oscroft
  • Berryman
3:07
5."Perfume"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Oscroft
  • Oscroft
  • Berryman
3:39
6."Last Train Home"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Silvani
  • Silvani
  • Berryman
3:22
7."Kiss Me Again"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Oscroft
  • Oscroft
  • Berryman
2:55
8."Miss America"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Silvani
  • Benjamin Francis Leftwich
  • Silvani
  • Berryman
3:07
9."Hate to Hurt You"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Silvani
  • Leftwich
  • Edward James Carlile
  • Berryman
3:06
10."Seeing Stars"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Oscroft
  • Ciara Doran
  • Sierra Deaton
  • Oscroft
  • Berryman
3:38
11."Imagination"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Silvani
  • Silvani
  • Berryman
3:22
12."Slow"
  • Baron-Gracie
  • Oscroft
  • Oscroft
4:04
Total length:40:16

Bonus tracks

Japanese release[56]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Anna" (Demo)
  • Pale Waves
2:24

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Smitten
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[55] 83
Scottish Albums (OCC)[57] 4
UK Albums (OCC)[58] 13
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[59] 3
UK Official Record Store Chart (OCC)[54] 5
UK Official Vinyl Albums Chart (OCC)[54] 4

Release history

Release history and formats for Smitten
Country Date Format Variant Label Catalog no. Ref.
Various 12 June 2024 CD Standard Dirty Hit DH2067 [50][51][52][53][33]
LP Burgundy variant DH2059
Cream variant DH2062
Rough Trade variant DH2063
HMV variant
TBA
"Indies" variant DH2063
Blood Records variant
TBA
Cassette Black variant DH2070
Digital download
—
—
Streaming

References

  1. ^ a b "Radio 1's New Music Show with Jack Saunders". BBC Radio 1. 12 June 2024. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b Skinner, Tom (3 July 2024). "Pale Waves announce 2024 UK headline tour". NME. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Hardman, Neville (15 August 2024). "See Pale Waves' Romantic New Video for 'Gravity'". Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b Taylor, Sam (13 September 2024). "Pale Waves are teasing 'Smitten' with their scenic new video for 'Thinking About You'". Dork. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b Pale Waves (24 September 2024). "Pale Waves – Kiss Me Again". Vevo. Retrieved 26 September 2024 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Pale Waves | Smitten Standard CD". Dirty Hit. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Smitten | Pale Waves". Bandcamp. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  8. ^ Hardman, Neville (12 June 2024). "Pale Waves announce new album Smitten". Alternative Press. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  9. ^ Carter, Emily (30 November 2023). "Pale Waves' Heather Baron-Gracie: 'All my energy is going into writing our best album yet'". Kerrang!. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Tate, Jason (June 2024). "Pale Waves Announce New Album". chorus.fm. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Mae, Keaton (20 August 2024). "Exclusive Interview: We're Smitten With Pale Waves, And You Should Be Too!". The Honey Pop. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Simon Oscroft". Spotify. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Iain Berryman". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Howell, Maddy (12 September 2024). "Pale Waves | The Album Story". Rock Sound. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b Songwriting and production credits taken from: Pale Waves (2024). "Smitten". Apple Music. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  16. ^ Shutler, Ali (30 September 2024). "Pale Waves: "It felt important to express the joy of queer love, because queer love is amazing"". Dork. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  17. ^ a b c "Pale Waves – Smitten". DIY. 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Abraham, Josh (24 September 2024). "Pale Waves – Smitten". Clash. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Foulds, Callum (26 September 2024). "Pale Waves: 'Smitten'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Tuck, Dylan (24 September 2024). "Pale Waves – Smitten". The Skinny. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  21. ^ a b c Skinner, Tom (12 July 2024). "Listen to Pale Waves' "Euphoric" New Break-Up Song 'Glasgow'". NME. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  22. ^ Molloy, Laura (17 August 2024). "Pale Waves Deal in Rejection on Dreamy New Single 'Gravity'". NME. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  23. ^ a b Childfree, Aaron (19 June 2024). "'I wanna make you my world': Pale Waves Capture the Excitement of New Love on 'Perfume'". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  24. ^ Murray, Robin (13 June 2024). "Pale Waves Announce New Album 'Smitten'". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  25. ^ England, Adam (13 June 2024). "Pale Waves Announce New Album 'Smitten' with Dreamy Single 'Perfume'". NME. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  26. ^ Von Pip, Andy (13 June 2024). "Pale Waves Announce Their Fourth Album, Share New Single 'Perfume'". Under the Radar. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Who are 'Perfume'?". Dork. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  28. ^ Muir, Jamie (30 May 2024). "Pale Waves kick off a brand new era at Dork's Night Out at the 100 Club, London". Dork. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  29. ^ Rincon, Skyy (12 June 2024). "Pale Waves Announce New Album Smitten For September 2024 Release, Share New Single & Video 'Perfume'". music.mxdwn.com. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  30. ^ Ulitski, Rob (19 June 2024). "Pale Waves 'Perfume' by Georgie Cowan-Turner". Promonewstv. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  31. ^ a b Young, Brigid (6 September 2024). "Pale Waves". 1883. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  32. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  33. ^ a b c "Pale Waves: Smitten". Blood Records. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024.
  34. ^ Pale Waves (18 July 2024). "The limited edition @bloodrecs Smitten vinyl is available to pre-order now, featuring an exclusive apple shaped 7" with Perfume and the acoustic demo of Miss America 🍎". Retrieved 7 October 2024 – via Instagram.
  35. ^ Mandell, Tyler (24 July 2024). "Pale Waves' Beautifully Produced Breakup Anthem 'Glasgow' Has an equally Amazing Video". Imperfect Fifth. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  36. ^ Pale Waves (15 August 2024). "Pale Waves – Gravity". Vevo. Retrieved 15 August 2024 – via YouTube.
  37. ^ Pale Waves (13 September 2024). "Pale Waves – Thinking About You (Official)". Vevo. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via YouTube.
  38. ^ "Pale Waves – Intimate Acoustic Performance". Gorilla. 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024.
  39. ^ "Album Launch Show: Pale Waves". HMV. 2024. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024.
  40. ^ "Pale Waves: 'Smitten' Album Signing". Dice.fm. 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  41. ^ Pale Waves [@palewaves] (23 September 2024). "Album release shows and signings start tomorrow in Manchester 💘 album bundles and remaining tickets here http://palewaves.co.uk/live/" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 October 2024 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ a b "Smitten by Pale Waves reviews". Any Decent Music?. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  43. ^ a b "Smitten by Pale Wave Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  44. ^ a b Muir, Jamie (2024). "Pale Waves –". Dork. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  45. ^ a b McFee, Edwin (24 September 2024). "Album Review: Pale Waves, Smitten". Hot Press. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  46. ^ a b Wilkes, Emma (23 September 2024). "Album review: Pale Waves – Smitten". Kerrang!. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  47. ^ a b Shutler, Ali (23 September 2024). "Pale Waves – 'Smitten' review: loved-up liberation". NME. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  48. ^ Davies, Jeffrey (27 September 2024). "Pale Waves 'Smitten' Review: A Big, Full-Hearted Embrace of Young Queer Love". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  49. ^ a b Williams, Tom (23 September 2024). "Pale Waves – Smitten". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  50. ^ a b Information about the release history of Smitten derived from the following Dirty Hit webpages:
  51. ^ a b "Pale Waves – Smitten". Rough Trade. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  52. ^ a b "Pale Waves – Smitten (hmv Exclusive) Green Vinyl". HMV. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  53. ^ a b "Pale Waves: Smitten". Piccadilly Records. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  54. ^ a b c "Smitten – Pale Waves". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  55. ^ a b "ペール・ウェーヴス | 'Download Albums'". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 October 2024. To view peak positions, choose "Download Albums" from the drop down list.
  56. ^ "Pale Waves - Smitten (+Japan Bonus Track) (CD)". musicjaplanet.com. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  57. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  58. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  59. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
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