Album Review: Pale Waves - Unwanted

I talk often about a band's 'identity'. When we listen to a band, even when they are trying a few new things here and there, it's important to have a core to your sound where anyone can hear one of your songs and know immediately that it's you. It's important for the band themselves, to make sure the public knows when they hear your new song that they are back after however long it's been. It's also important for the fans, so they can feel confident there's a good chance they will still be interested in the next release, even if it brings new elements into the mix.

Pale Waves is still trying to find their identity. Their first album was a cold pop record I described as 'Daria rock', and it really connected with me, even though it felt disconnected. Or maybe because of that. But what's important to note is that everything about that album I would have said were the keys to Pale Waves identity were stripped away for the second album, which sounded like the band trying to get into the headspace of early 00s Avril Lavigne.

The problem was that it didn't sound like Pale Waves being inspired by that sound, but the people in the band trying to be that sound. Does that distinction register with anyone else?

Album number three answers a lot of the questions I still have.

What is clear after listening to this album is that the debut was not them. Or at least it doesn't feel like it was, given how far they have divorced themselves from that sound. The cold, detached tone of "My Mind Makes Noises" is long gone, replaced with a shinier alt-rock sound that makes it hard to remember it's even the same band we're talking about.

The biggest difference isn't even in the harder rock sound of the guitars, but rather in Heather's vocals. She debuted to us as a cooing voice with that early 90s sense of cynicism. She sounded like she didn't care about anything, which was the perfect fit for the aesthetic. Now, she is using her full voice, her full power, for something louder and brighter. She was a vocalist at first, and now she's a singer.

To go with that, the band's second outing in this style feels more confident in every respect. They know how to add in the heavier elements, Heather sounds more comfortable being this version of herself, and the songwriting bristles with a pop energy that is often undeniable. When they kick into gear, they update the sound of their influences into something compelling, and definitely more mature than, say, what Avril herself did this year.

I was far more kind to "Who Am I?" than most people were, but this record is a good explanation as to why those people were so down on Pale Waves transformation. This record feels like the full realization of what they were aiming for, but didn't yet have the confidence to pull off. If this record had followed "My Mind Makes Noises", the shift would have gone down far easier. What drives people nuts isn't when a band changes, but when they don't pull it off. There were questions on "Who Am I?" as to whether they did, but none here. They nail their target.

This record isn't going to have the same impact for me as "My Mind Makes Noises", because that one was something outside my usual listening that opened by ears to a new experience. They are now more into my usual wheelhouse, so while that makes it easier for me to enjoy what they're doing, it also throws them into my memory banks with so much more music.

Bottom line; Pale Waves has rebounded from a stumble, and has planted their flag for this chapter. It's flying high, and I for one am thoroughly enjoying the breeze.