British indie-pop band Pale Waves have returned with the release of “Change,” the lead single from their sophomore album, Who Am I?, out February 12, 2021, via Dirty Hit, along with a brand new video. “Change,” a nostalgic and catchy guitar track made up of stories of heartbreak from front woman Heather Baron-Gracie’s friends, reflecting the different moods and emotions that we all go through. The song, which was first played as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record In The World on BBC Radio 1, is accompanied by a music video, which can be seen now below.
Pre-order/pre-save the album HERE.
Who Am I? – the follow-up to the band’s 2018 debut album My Mind Makes Noises which amassed over 70 million streams worldwide, opens up a bold new chapter for Pale Waves. Heather Baron-Gracie’s songwriting holds the last few years of her life up to the light, reflecting on her own mental health and growing pains – depression, distraction, and feelings of darkness – but also her experience of falling in love and becoming more open about her sexuality, emerging with a clarity and optimism as she steps forward as the sort of front woman she never saw when she was growing up.
Who Am I? acts as the Pale Waves manifesto, inspiring inclusivity, self-discovery, and the notion of being whoever the hell you want to be. On the making of the album, Heather says “for me, music and art is for people not to feel so alone and isolated. I want to be that person my fans look up to and find comfort in.”
Who Am I? was recorded primarily in Los Angeles alongside producer Rich Costey (Muse, Foo Fighters, Sigur Rós), before the Coronavirus lockdown forced the making of the album to go virtual, with Heather remaining in LA and the rest of the band returning home to record their parts in their bedrooms, sending them back to LA to be added into the record.
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) – made an immediate splash when the debuted on the music scene a few year ago, hitting the Top 10 on UK Album Chart, winning the NME Under The Radar award, making the BBC Sound of 2018 shortlist, touring with fellow Dirty Hit label mates and mentors The 1975 as well as Muse and The Cure, and appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers. They have performed at Reading, Leeds, Lollapalooza, SXSW, and Outside Lands Festival and have received praise from NPR, AV Club, The Fader, Stereogum, Nylon, Billboard, Ladygunn, and more.