Pale Waves shake and cry until the walls bleed in new music video for “Kiss”

Pale Waves new music video for their single “Kiss,” between the bloody wall drips, black-and-white cutaways, and their jangle-rock infatuation feels like the weird love-child of The Cure and Tears for Fears we never knew existed stepping into the light. The comparison is apt, and not just because lead-singer/guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie’s pitch-black curls are Robert Smith-esque, as the Manchester outfit have the knack for bringing to life the kind of 80s rock-pop that is more than just nostalgia-laden pining for a decade long past. With their latest, Baron-Gracie and company continue to cut through their goth-gleam with the kind of giddy guitar work that makes them so endlessly fun to listen to.

Lush hooks and electric anthemics aside, Baron-Gracie’s gorgeous cries are the centerpiece of the entire affair, melting all the sonics whenever she thrusts it on the scene and imbuing their pop-lyricality with an authentic romanticism rather than triteness. Then there’s the matter of the actual video for “Kiss,” which employs all of the singer’s charm in true 80s fashion with some pretty charming dead-pan close-ups of Baron-Gracie’s striking facial expressions and head-swinging. The Cure references are plainly apparent, but unlike other acts that try to pour tribute on their influences, Pale Waves isn’t just a band playing 80s-tinged music that sounds like bands from the 80s–they actually might be from the 80s. That’s because Pale Waves doesn’t necessarily sound like The Cure or Tears for Fears; their sound lavish pop melodies and goth-rock sentiments might have inspirations in such, but it’s entirely of their own creation, and because of that they sound like contemporaries rather than imitators. “Kiss” is a bit of a culmination of that identity and you can be sure that their eventual debut album is going to sound like it was discovered inside a four-decade-old time-capsule.

Watch the music video for “Kiss” below!

Pale Waves will be heading on tour this summer across the U.S. with stops at this year’s Outside Lands music festival and will end it all at The Fonda on December 6 in Los Angeles. Visit the band’s website and Facebook to stay updated on new music and any future tour announcements.

AUGUST
2 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
4 – Lollapalooza Aftershow (Concord Music Hall) – Chicago, IL @
6 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO (Sold Out) *
9 – Ogden Amphitheatre – Ogden, UT *
11 – Outside Lands Festival – San Francisco, CA
12 – 107.7 The End’s Summer Camp – Seattle WA ^

OCTOBER
26 – Scoot Inn – Austin, TX
27 – Trees – Dallas, TX
28 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
30 – Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL
31 – Crowbar – Tampa, FL

NOVEMBER
2 – Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
3 – The Social – Orlando, FL
5 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA
6 – Mercy Lounge – Nashville, TN
7 – The Underground – Charlotte, NC
9 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA
10 – U Street Music Hall – Washington, DC
11 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
12 – Brooklyn Steel – New York, NY
13 – The Sinclair – Boston, MA
15 – Opera House – Toronto, ON
17 – Corona Capital – Mexico City, MX
19 – Madison Live – Cincinnati, OH
20 – Skully’s – Columbus, OH
23 – Rave Bar – Milwaukee, WI
24 – Amsterdam Hall – St. Paul, MN
25 – Slowdown – Omaha, NE
26 – Bluebird Theatre – Denver, CO
28 – In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
30 – Neumos – Seattle, WA

DECEMBER
1 – Venue – Vancouver, BC
6 – The Fonda – Los Angeles, CA

@ With Walk the Moon
* With CHVRCHES
^ With AWOLNATION, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Manchester Orchestra, Robert DeLong, Elle King, Alice Merton, lovelytheband, Moon Taxi, Dreamers, Twin Shadow, The Driver Era, Smokey Brights, and SYML