Pale Waves have shared new single ‘The Hard Way’.
The Manchester goth-pop outfit have completed work on their new album, with ‘Unwanted’ set to land on August 12th. Matching the bite of, say, Garbage with increasing lyrical resonance, it’s a work of real depth and emotional nuance.
Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Zakk Cervini, the latest highlight to emerge from the record is potent new single ‘The Hard Way’.
Crunching guitars illuminate the song, but Heather Baron-Gracie’s lyrics are perhaps the most open and emotive she’s ever penned. A song about teenage bullying, mental health, and suicide, it urges us all – no matter the age – to check in with one another.
“When I was in high school a girl who was being bullied took her own life,” Heather says. “I got on the bus with her every single morning and I would see her sitting in her same spot. She sat downstairs, and I would go upstairs. ‘The Hard Way’ is about my regret for not helping her, or standing up for her, that I feel now as an adult.”
“As a kid you’re so shy and afraid, but I hope it’ll influence people to stand up for those who need help, and help people understand that their words and actions can be really damaging. You don’t know how cruel you can be sometimes, especially at that age.”
Tune in now.
Photo Credit: Kelsi Luck
