Pale Waves – Unwanted

Label: Dirty Hit
Released: 12th August 2022

Pale Waves have been on a journey. At the start, they were all dry ice and 80s goth pop. Then came the big, bold, 00s radio alt-rock bangers.

For their third album, ‘Unwanted’, they’ve not-so-subtly shifted again. This time, they’re going fully pop punk. From the heddy charge of ‘Jealousy’ to the heartstring tugging ‘Without You’, its an art-form Heather and co understand, because they were born of it. But what it never is is a pastiche or poor facsimile.

It’s still Pale Waves – just Pale Waves in their brightest, most bombastic form yet. ■ Dan Harrison