Pale Waves Release New Single 'Perfume' From Newly Announced Album

Buzzy, critically-acclaimed UK darlings Pale Waves have released their new single and video “Perfume” alongside the announcement of their upcoming fourth studio album Smitten, out September 20 via Dirty Hit.

Listen to the confessional, sapphic, 1980s-leaning lead single about being totally enamored with a person, which premiered as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record earlier today and is reminiscent of bands like The Cure and The Cranberries; and CLICK HERE to watch the dreamy, official music video that finds the band in a hazy, lovestruck fairytale.

"’Perfume’ is the perfect introduction into the new world we’ve created,” shares lead singer Heather. “It's queer, feminine and romantic and it encapsulates the essence of ‘Smitten.’”

Blending the band’s timeless indie rock with a new wave of romantic nostalgia in a way that is undeniably Pale Waves, Smitten sees Heather Baron-Gracie reflecting upon her roots and finding herself in a headspace where she could finally breathe and reflect. Written between the US and UK over a two-year period and full of vivid, catchy hooks and a fresh, alt-pop sound, Smitten captures the excitement and euphoria as well as the confusion and pain of early queer relationships, is lyrically preoccupied with past lives, and unfolds as though Heather is pouring through the pages of a long-forgotten teenage diary and being surprised by what she found. PRESS HERE to pre-order Smitten.

“I found myself writing about not just a certain time period, but my whole life, from years ago,” Heather adds. “When I fall in love, I fall deep, and it’s interesting to me that you can feel so fascinated and smitten with someone and then they can become a total stranger. So, I feel like ‘Smitten’ really summarized perfectly what I felt for others at a certain point.”

Pale Waves are currently touring North America as official support for pop rock band PVRIS and will appear in major cities coast to coast including Washington, D.C, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Minneapolis, Boston, Indianapolis, and more before returning to the UK for a handful of festival performances including Y Not Festival and Neighbourhood Festival. PRESS HERE for tickets.

Smitten tracklist:

Glasgow

Not a Love Song

Gravity

Thinking About You

Perfume

Last Train Home

Kiss Me Again

Miss America

Hate to Hurt You

Seeing Stars

Imagination

Slow

2024 TOUR DATES

* as official support for PVRIS

June 12 - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre - Indianapolis, IN*

June 14 - Uptown Theatre - Minneapolis, MN*

June 15 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL*

June 16 - St. Andrew’s Hall - Detroit, MI*

June 19- The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON*

June 21 - House of Blues - Boston, MA*

June 22 - Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA*

June 24 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY*

June 26 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC*

June 28 - Brooklyn Bowl - Nashville, TN*

June 29 - The Masquerade, Heaven - Atlanta, GA*

July 1 - Jannus Live - St. Petersburg, FL*

July 6 - Emo’s Austin - Austin, TX*

July 7 - House of Blues, Cambridge Room - Dallas, TX*

July 9 - The Van Buren - Phoenix, AZ*

July 10 - The Observatory North - San Diego, CA*

July 12 - The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA*

July 20 - Benicassim Festival - Spain

August 3 - Y Not Festival - Derbyshire UK

August 4 - Kendal Calling Festival - Kendal UK

October 5 - Neighbourhood Festival - Manchester, UK

About Pale Waves

Drawing strength from not fitting into a mold while encouraging inclusivity and self-acceptance across their discography, the band has received international acclaim from Pitchfork, Vanity Fair, Billboard, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed, The FADER, AV Club, Vulture, Consequence, Stereogum, Alternative Press, NYLON, and more, for their 2022 album Unwanted which was recorded with producer Zakk Cervini (Blink-182, Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly). Unwanted marked new territory for the band as they flipped the script on their sound to tap into darker emotions with the rage of a 90s rock band and 13 fresh, defiant pop-punk tracks including singles “Clean,” “Jealousy,” and “Lies.”

Pale Waves – comprised of front woman Heather Baron-Gracie (she/her); drummer Ciara Doran (they/them); guitarist Huge Silvani (he/him) and bassist Charlie Wood (he/him) – have toured the globe with The 1975, 5 Seconds of Summer, Muse, The Cure, and more, and made an immediate splash when they debuted on the music scene with their debut album My Mind Makes Noises before following it up with their hit sophomore album Who Am I? in 2021 which hit #3 on the UK album charts and welcomed standout tracks  “Change,” “Easy,” and “She’s My Religion.”

Photo credit: Kelsi Luck

To post a comment, you must register and login.