We’re nearly halfway through Pride Month and we’ve already attended some fabulous events. However, there are still several musical celebrations of queerness that we’re eagerly anticipating, including June 22nd at Theatre of Living Arts. The evening will be headlined by Lynn Gunn electropop outfit PVRIS, with opening duties being handled by Tijuana-based alt-pop project Bruses. However, we’re most excited about Pale Waves, who will be in the direct support slot. We’ve been following the retro-inclined, Manchester-based, Heather Baron-Gracie-led pop-punks – who have previously headlined Boot & Saddle, The Foundry, and Union Transfer – since 2017, even prior to 2018 debut LP, My Mind Makes Noises.
Unwanted, Pale Waves’ Zakk Cervini-produced third LP dropped in August of 2022. The album received praise from the likes of Kerrang, NME, and The Times and produced numerous delectably anthemic bangers, including “Lies” and “Jealousy.” However, today Pale Waves announced their forthcoming fourth full-length, Smitten, which drops September 20th via their longtime home, Dirty Hit. They also premiered Smitten’s lead single (and accompanying music video), “Perfume,” an ode to youthful queer love perfectly suited for a gothy, ultra-gay coming-of-age film set in the 1980s (We’re picturing Gregg Araki directing.) “‘Perfume’ is the perfect introduction into the new world we’ve created… It’s queer, feminine and romantic and it encapsulates the essence of Smitten,” Heather Baron-Gracie has said of the track.
Pale Waves are currently almost two weeks into their tour supporting PVRIS, where they’ve been performing “Perfume” nightly, in addition to tracks from their first three albums. At the moment, tickets to June 22nd at TLA are technically sold out, but there are “Verified Resale Tickets” starting at $66.76 (This seems to change by the hour.) We’d highly recommend getting them while you can (ticket link below) and putting in your preorders for Smitten ASAP. In the meantime, check out the official music videos for “Perfume” and “Jealousy.”
*Get your tickets here.
