Track Review: Glasgow // Pale Waves

Glasgow. It’s a place that seems to have more than its fair share of name-checking in the musical world. ABBA mention it; Hue and Cry do too and now it’s the turn of Pale Waves in their newest single ‘Glasgow’. However, their experience of the city is far removed from the one of love that the famous Swedish group mention. Being the site of parting of ways as opposed to the joining of them in this honest break-up ballad. 

The tide of emotion is released right from the start with a burst of guitar, kicking off an unstoppable undercurrent of a fresh start (reminiscent of the powerful ballads of the 80’s). That’s what this song is all about really, starting again after being let down by love. You see, we join the persona whilst they are dealing with the odd euphoria that comes around breaking up; how it simultaneously feels as if we are released (a weight lifted) but also as if we are trapped beneath the gravity of what we have just done.

As the single progresses, even the entire song seems at odds with itself with the honest, somewhat downbeat, lyrics fighting against the glitzy melody that is until the instruments die down right by the end and we can finally take in the meaning that permeates through this gem of a song. Meaning that feels real and pure, especially when Heather [Baron-Gracie] says that there is ‘Nothing left for us to repair’, the angelic tone being a metaphor for the slow acceptance that creeps in as we get used to being apart from a former lover. Like how angels know our fate, we too have a curtain lifted to show us how breaking up was the best option. This complex exploration of love continues in the music video, where the band provides us with a twist on the tried and tested formula of someone driving a car through lovely scenery. By dressing the lead singer (and lead driver) in monochrome bridal dress, the saturated hues of nature are forced to juxtapose with the black and white of the bride; mirroring that mixture of emotions encompassed by the lyrics. Like those words, the images of the video are simple and honest and combined with a symbolic throwing away of a veil they help to mark the direction of the new album Smitten that this single will form a part of. It’s a fresh start for the usually more punky group, one that I wager might go down pretty well when they turn up again in Glasgow in October. 

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