Interview with Ciara Doran of Pale Waves

Pale Waves recently released their fourth album, Smitten, via Dirty Hit. The album showcases the band's most accomplished work to date, delivering a version of themselves developed in sound, confidence and identity.

The group recently returned to the UK following a tour alongside alternative rock band PVRIS. Speaking about the run, Pale Waves drummer Ciara Doran said: “It was really fun doing a long tour like that; we've not done that in a while. Touring America is always amazing, and the band was super nice. We all became really good friends, so it was a really wholesome experience all in all.”

Over the summer, Pale Waves performed at a string of UK festivals including, Kendal Calling, Y Not and Slam Dunk. Reflecting on festival season, Ciara said: "It was good. Normally, we do a bit more, but because we were obviously on tour most of the summer, we didn't. But the ones we did were amazing. It's always good going back to Y Not, because that was our first festival ever.”

(Image: Kelsi Luck) Presently, the band are based between the UK and the States. Subsequently, Pale Waves' latest album, Smitten, was somewhat of a transatlantic project. "A little bit got written in LA, a little bit got written here in England,” said Ciara. “We worked with Simon Oscroft for a lot for it. And then Iain Berryman, he recorded it. We were down in Eastbourne recording it, which was quite cold and dark at that point of the year. So, it was an interesting time to be there because it was off-season.” Ciara adds: “We had a good time, and we all got close doing it. It was cool.”

Some of the songs on the album were a labour of love. The track Gravity was one of the hardest tracks to finish on the group’s latest album. “I think Heather had a few different versions of it. She's very particular with it and tries to make everything perfect,” said Ciara. “I think some of them took a bit longer to get there, but that's what music's about really. Sometimes a song can be done in a day, and then sometimes it takes months or a year to get it to the point where you need it to be.”

Sound-wise, Smitten has perhaps strayed a little from the pop-punk sounds of the band's previous album, Unwanted, maybe into more of an alt-pop territory. But was that a conscious decision, or did it happen organically? “I guess it's organic. I think this album is a lot more in line with the first album. So I guess it's like coming home a little bit to our true roots of what Pale Waves is. People experiment on different albums, and you kind of end up back to where you started sometimes with creativity and music in general,” said Ciara.

(Image: Niall Lea) (Image: Niall Lea) From their Manchester roots, Ciara now lives in the States. But how are they finding life in the US, and is there anything they miss about Northern England? “It's good, it's very sunny. Obviously, it's difficult living away from family, but it's like heaven out there in LA,” said Ciara. “I know Americans bitch about English food, but the food is better here in England. I miss Nando's; I miss roast dinners. It's mostly food that I miss, to be honest.”

There are many strong tracks on the band's latest offering. But at the time of writing, Ciara suggested that there was one song on the album which the artist enjoyed the most. “I really like Last Train Home. I think that's one of my favourites to listen to,” confirms Ciara. “I just think it's quite beautiful.”

Recent single Perfume took inspiration from peers such as The Cure and The Cranberries. “The Cure is my favourite band of all time,” explains Ciara. “Especially for the first album, they were my go-to with that whole sound. But this album kind of brought that back. And Cocteau Twins was a big inspiration, and The Cranberries and Garbage.”

(Image: Niall Lea) The band have been happy with the feedback they’ve received so far towards their new material. “People seem to be really liking it. So that's very encouraging. It's always nice to feel the love on the music,” said Ciara.

Pale Waves are presently touring the UK in support of their new album. With Smitten being the band's fourth album, there is a lot of ground to cover in their live shows. "We're doing quite a lot from the new album,” said Ciara. “We're trying to make it special in terms of how it looks and trying to make it the most visually appealing show that we've done so far.” Ciara adds: “It's hard when you have four albums to figure out what the setlist is going to be, but I think it'll be wicked. Hopefully, all the fans will feel like there's something for everyone.”

Pale Waves will return to the North East for an eagerly anticipated show at the Boiler Shop in Newcastle next week. “Newcastle is one of my favourite places to play, actually,” said Ciara. “The further north you go, the rowdier the crowds are …I don't know - there's just something special about it, to be honest.”

(Image: Kelsi Luck)

Before the end of the year, Pale Waves will return to Asia for a run of dates in Japan and Korea. “Japan is one of my favourite places to go. The love we feel there is insane,” said Ciara. “The shows we're able to play, it's just like a blessing, really. And the fact we get to go there every year, or sometimes twice a year, it's amazing. I don't know how it's happened, but we feel very lucky to be able to do it.”

With the band’s new album still fresh, they are open-minded as to what happens next. "We are still in the planning process. Everything comes after the album, I guess. So, we'll see,” concludes Ciara.

Pale Waves will perform at the Boiler Shop in Newcastle on Monday 14th October. The band's new album Smitten, is out now via Dirty Hit. For ticket information and further details, please visit https://palewaves.co.uk.