Two years after their debut album My Mind Makes Noises, the Manchester based band Pale Waves have made a welcome return with their new album Who am I? Nice and succinct, with 11 songs all under the five-minute mark, this album has some very tasty earworms, reminiscent of Paramore in their heyday. The opening single, Change, is a punchy pop-punk anthem and perfect “angry post exam walk” tune. Pale Waves evoke a unique Avril Lavigne nostalgia in songs such as ‘Easy’ and ‘Fall to Pieces’. While influences, such as the late Dolores O’ Riordan, can be seen in the melancholic ‘Wish You Were Here’ and punchy punk ballad ‘She Is My Religion’. 

Songs like ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘I Just Needed You’ are the more bland songs on the album. Thankfully such songs are interspersed between the banger that is straight out of a 2000s teen movie, ‘You Don’t Own Me’.

‘Odd Ones Out’ is the token pared back love song which probably could have been played during the Prom Scene in a Hillary Duff tween romcom circa 2001. ‘Run To’ also unfortunately gets the filler stamp, although as stopgap songs go, it’s one of the better ones I have heard. 

The title track of the album is one of my favourites. Experimenting a little bit more with piano and paired back guitar, ‘Who Am I?’ has a coming-of-age crisis quality to it. As college students, many of us can relate to lead singer Baron-Gracie’s lament of “who am I, I need a sign, does anybody know?” It is also one of the tracks which strays from the typical pop-punk sound Pale Waves tend to drift toward. 

Overall, the album is of very solid quality with concert-worthy, scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs, tunes. Improvements could be made by Pale Waves by including more experimentation and differentiation between their songs. The band has proven they can deliver the goods, now it’s time to show they can branch outside their comfort zone. We get glimpses of this sprinkled throughout the album, with hints of Cocteau Twins which may be of their benefit to explore in future endeavours.  

A strong second offering, Pale Waves shows musical class and consistency with their sophomore album. Hopefully a third album will allow for more creativity and exploration of genres from this promising Manchester band.