We’ve had our eyes on Pale Waves for years now, one could say we have a history of being Smitten with them… And every time they make a new move, our jaws are back on the ground! This new era is no exception. Their first single ‘Perfume’ has had us contemplating what a Pale Waves ‘Perfume’ would smell like, and how many we’d need to ensure a lifetime supply. We couldn’t be more excited for Smitten which releases everywhere on September 27th! This new era is looking to be the biggest one for the band yet, and it’s safe to say it’s more than deserved!
We could gush about these guys forever, but that’s not what you’re here for! Let’s buzz on into the good stuff, the interview!
Hello and welcome to The Honey POP! We’re beyond excited to chat with you about everything Smitten and more. But first, we like to start things off on a fun note here when we do introductions! If you were to describe the band’s sound as a ‘Perfume’ scent to a new listener, what would the nodes and name of that ‘Perfume’ be?
Everyone always says that we smell so good as a band, which I’m glad about because I hate when you smell a stinky band. I guess, for us, it’d be quite floral because I feel like everyone in the band wears quite feminine scents. Nothing too masculine… So quite floral and feminine with a hint of lavender.
Let’s call it Smitten… By Chanel.
You described ‘Perfume’ as the perfect introduction to this new era and we’d be lying if we said we’ve been able to stop listening to it since it dropped. What can you tell us about the creative process behind ‘Perfume?’
‘Perfume’ and ‘Glasgow’ were written so close to each other, and I feel like those two songs, for me, really informed Smitten. I had such a good time writing ‘Perfume.’ I wrote the chorus on an acoustic guitar with my dear friend Simon, who is so talented, and I came up with the melody first: “I wanna make, I wanna make you.” I had those lyrics and then “want to make you my girl” and then “my world.” I thought it might be too simple, but then thought “oh, no, fuck it.” It sounds like Spice Girls, or something – it’s so catchy and sometimes you don’t need to overcomplicate things. You just need to go with your first instinct. That’s what I feel like with music anyway, because I feel like when you try to rewrite something several times you just end up in a worse position than you were when you started.
Smitten looks like it’s going to be a new staple in our music rotation. What track off the record are you most excited for the world to hear?
My favorite is ‘Glasgow’ and that’s already out, so that makes me so happy. I just love listening to ‘Glasgow,’ but a song that isn’t a single on the record that I am obsessed with as well is a song called ‘Not a Love Song.’ I feel like that’s going to be a track for the girlies. Lyrically, it’s really interesting and musically it’s quite fun. We’ll definitely be playing that track live.
Your newest single, ‘Gravity’ is just as mesmerizing for our ears. What can you tell us about ‘Gravity?’
‘Gravity’ took a while to write. It came together after a year and a half and it had multiple versions of it. 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.
Smitten was written after you spent time diving back into your past. What was it like to revisit old chapters of your life and create art from it now?
It was very interesting. I feel like when you go through a certain period in your life, you block out a lot of the things that happened in your life that you don’t really want to revisit. I feel like the older you get, the more mature and open you become as a person. I liked diving into my past and I liked revisiting the experiences and being able to make music from them.
From pop, to pop-punk, to what you’ve described as “freedom,” genres aren’t something that defines Pale Waves and it’s something we love and admire about the band. How do you stay committed to creating music that is authentic to yourselves as artists?
For me, I feel like just picking up the acoustic guitar and writing with only that really helps me be true to who I am as an artist because you’re not really influenced by that much. I feel like the best stuff comes from stripping it all back and then building it up from there. Starting out with myself and an instrument is where the best music comes from, rather than building a track and then writing to it – I’m not too big into that.
We know that there’s still a lot up your sleeves for the rest of 2024, but what’s one thing that you can tell us about that you’re really looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to the UK live shows because I feel like they’re going to be the best Pale Waves shows to date. We love headlining our own shows, but we love playing in the UK. More than anything, I feel like it’s going to be the best shows we’ve ever put on – and it’s been a minute since we’ve done it so I’m really looking forward to that.
You just wrapped up a tour with PVRIS, which we love given that you’re about to drop your queerest album yet. What have been some of your favorite memories from the tour?
Just hanging out with them in the dressing room, really. They’re all really, genuinely nice people and very down to earth. Very funny, too. They would drag me on stage a lot and that was really fun. They never took anything too seriously, but they put on an amazing show every single night and they were so welcoming. Just being around them every day was a good time.
You’ve also had the chance to tour with a ton of iconic names throughout your career! Which one would you say sticks out as a pivotal tour that brought you to where you are now as a band?
I think for us, touring with The 1975, especially the first tour we did in America, is all very vivid in our memories. It was our first time in America, it was out first time on a tour bus, and they were playing big venues. We only had one song out, so we were absolutely terrified but really excited. I feel like that really helped our career and touring with them a lot really helped us in general. They were really sweet to take us out multiple times.
Alright, last question, and then we’ll buzz off, but we believe in the power of manifestation here at The Honey POP! So what is one thing you are manifesting for the Smitten era?
I want it to be the most successful Pale Waves album to date! In terms of numbers, I want it to do the best numbers ever… Well, not ever, because that would be ridiculous, but in terms of our other records. I want it to be the best-received record for Pale Waves.
What more do you need to know to make Pale Waves your newest obsession? Personally, we’ve been on this train for years, but we’re happy to welcome you aboard! If you need us, we’ll be watching our countdown to September 27th tick away! Let us know how you’re passing the time until Smitten is out in the comments below! Or you can let us know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!
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