Review by Graham Finney
It’s fair to say that the last six months have seen a meteoric rise in the popularity of Manchester synth-pop quartet Pale Waves and, now, they’re about to put the icing on the cake with the release of their eagerly-awaited debut album “My Mind Makes Noises” which will see release through Dirty Hit Records on September 14th.
So, does it live up to the hype that is currently following the Manchester band? Well, if you’ve crossed paths with Pale Waves and their music at any point in the last few months, you’ll be well aware that they have got this synth-pop thing down to a fine art and, as “My Mind Makes Noises” opens up with “Eighteen”, a delicious slice of ‘80s inspired goth-pop, you realise that the Manchester outfit are going to deliver everything you expect of them. Now, while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re a fan of the band already, it does mean that “My Mind Makes Noises” offers up little in the way of surprises. What you do get though is an album full of songs like opener “Eighteen” and current single “Kiss” that take the best bits of the ‘80s synth-pop scene and bring them kicking and screaming into 2018 and beyond.
That being said, there are times throughout “My Mind Makes Noises” when shutting your eyes and just letting Heather Baron-Gracie’s deliciously ‘80s inspired vocals wash over you transports you straight into one of those ‘80s teen movie soundtracks. Does that put Pale Waves and their sound firmly in the box marked dated? Honestly, no, there is enough of modern, almost pop-punk feel to the album to stop that happening but, from here, it’ll be interesting to see how the Manchester band claw themselves away from this admittedly successful formula they’re well and truly immersed in.
Rating: 7/10
Track Listing:
1. Eighteen
2. There’s A Honey
3. Noises
4. Came In Close
5. Loveless Girl
6. Drive
7. When Did I Lose It All?
8. She
9. One More Time
10. Television Romance
11. Red
12. Kiss
13. Black
14. Karl (I Wonder What It’s Like To Die)
