The Weekly Coos

Smitten by Pale Waves is a return to the sound that hooked me; however, it doesn’t have blazing power chords or crazy synths to emphasize certain genre complexions, instead allowing it to feel naturally unwound to match the album’s focus. Pale Waves delivers poignant and potent lyrics that sway from the angsty pop-punk nature of their last album, Unwanted. It’s an interesting companion to it with Heather Baron-Gracie feeling the opposite of unwanted, smitten with hope. Sonically matured into a sharper force that embraces their artistry and doesn’t let overstimulated exterior shroud the layers are pivotal here as Smitten is riddled with captivatingly natural poppy hooks. As Baron-Gracie would note via the band’s record label, “When I fall in love, I fall deep…you can feel so fascinated and smitten with someone and then they can become a total stranger. So I feel like Smitten really summarised perfectly what I felt for others at a certain point;” she doesn’t trivialize life, and hones in on the strongest components of her story to deliver another banger like their debut, still with similar faults, safe instrumentations and too much from its core theme.

Smitten’s sonic palette is nuanced and simple, never looking to impress with power chords or indulgent synths. They grew as a band refining their craft and knowing when to take that next step creatively. It’s like they took away the gimmick and let the instruments play without this care for grabbing your attention just to grab it. Unfortunately, the production can play it safe at times as it shies from finding ways to go above the fray and find the way to spark the magic gotten from “Television Romance” from their debut, with the closest being “Kiss Me Again,” which energetic synths act like the icing on the song. There are some quality pop-rock and alt-rock instrumentations that the simplicity won’t phase you, considering it feels like more of a choice. Simplicity can be key, as there is an intimacy that comes from just the vocals and the guitar, and you can hear that connection with some songs, even when there is more to than just the two components. It makes listening through it more enjoyable because that layer is rooted within the songs “Imagination” or “Thinking About You,” which bolsters captivating melodies from Heather Baron-Gracie.

The choice of simplicity is an influence buoyed by the songwriting, which reflects Heather Barron Gracie’s history—think more of this coming-of-age album with gravity towards the storytelling. As evident in the content, her life isn’t without romance, though it isn’t all 1:1 as it can offer insight from different perspectives for the listener, like as if you’re talking to each other. “Perfume” showcases the excitement of new love and the complexities behind a new relationship, which she reflects on something that has been part of her since she was a kid. “Last Train Home” focuses on Baron-Gracie’s sexuality and how a relationship with someone confident in themselves comes with some regrets as Gracie takes the last train home. This tenderness within her writing lets the authenticity grow and flow with the production, creating a connecting synergy that elevates the craft further. “Miss America” is this archaic take on shittiness, specifically Barron Gracie’s, and its delivery stays on point. These fantastic highs shine through the vocals too, continuing with other highlights like emphatic “Gravity” and “Seeing Stars” where she plays with the melodies on a few occasions, and the writing bolsters them, especially “Seeing Stars” which looks at the uplifting entity to a cynic over some jangly guitars.

Smitten continues that ethos of weaving a theme based on a feeling, and how many tracks carry some essence since much of the person we hear about brings these doubts, highs, and moments of great love and self-reflection, all with impulse. From what gets established and follows the opening track is a concoction that thinks about the parasocial nature one can have with the music as tone and writing can help create connections and many are sparking. Unfortunately, some of the instrumentations can feel safe, and it doesn’t do more with it, going slightly above to show variety while maintaining focus. This is especially the case in “Thinking About You,” as it’s carried by a fantastic performance by Heather Baron-Gracie. That isn’t to depreciate the others, as some production has their highs, like the different guitar intangibles keeping the interest afloat, like with “Imagination,” or when the note is hit perfectly in consistency with the lovely pop-rock anthem “Not A Love Song.” But as it all comes together, Pale Waves maintains your attention, especially with the maturity shown.

I’m a fan of Smitten by Pale Waves because of what I expressed, specifically the maturity. Yet, I still found myself loving that last album more because of their tenacity to make it feel like there is a tonal consistency. Unwanted was angsty and flowed brightly with dark hues as we feel these emotions through the performances, whereas Smitten is more of a construction of a songwriting-like concept, and it shines too. However, the production does keep it safe and makes one feel like more could have been done. It’s a slight detriment but doesn’t take me away from the music completely, since the highs kept me hooked and I am sure it will for you too. Give it a spin since Pale Waves continues to ride consistent highs of quality albums, save for the second album.