User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
- Summary: The fourth full-length release from British pop-rock band Pale Waves was inspired by lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie's teenage diary.
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Record Label: Dirty Hit
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 7 out of 9
-
Mixed: 2 out of 9
-
Negative: 0 out of 9
-
Sep 27, 2024Baron-Gracie’s lyrics are more straightforward and candid than ever here.
-
Sep 24, 2024Love, heartbreak, growing up, and self-discovery are the ingredients to this emotional rollercoaster of a cocktail, and it’s simply beautiful.
-
Sep 24, 2024Teenaged at heart, but adult in mind and execution, Smitten combines sounds, moods and eras to present arguably Pale Waves' most complete album.
-
Sep 25, 2024It doesn’t rest on what has come before, landing somewhere between the ‘80s new wave of their debut and mainstream pop, now with the self-expression of a far more confident songwriter.
-
Sep 26, 2024It is crisply clear and gritty, with a lovely bout of emo-tinged lyricism. It is surely to be considered the strongest body of work of their career, only to be outdone with whatever may come next. Smitten is the sound of a band infatuated with their art, ready for the future, and excited to be a part of it.
-
Oct 21, 2024Whether the mimicry is incidental or purposeful, Smitten is another enjoyable record. If Pale Waves wants to sound like Avril Lavigne, the Cure, or the 1975, critics be damned, their approach is successful.
-
Sep 24, 2024It's a record as sweet as 20 pumpkin spice lattes, with Gravity ('She keeps pulling me like gravity, everywhere she goes') and Perfume ('I wanna make you my girl / I wanna make you my world') sticking out as notable offenders, while the equally syrupy Kiss Me Again is also a little boilerplate. That said, it’s all rather endearing, especially for those who relate enough to the sentiment to be swept up by it.