‘Who Am I?’ is a lot of things. It’s a pop record from the recent past, an album that looks deep within but projects strongly outwards too. But what it most certainly isn’t is a one-trick pony. Pale Waves were always better than that.

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4mo

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Clash

A triumphant return that thrives on intimacy, and emotional transparency.

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Personal awakenings are the driving force behind the Manchester group's second album, which was borne out of hardship that they never shy away from.

4mo

On their sophomore album, Pale Waves comes into their own with a whole new level of confidence.

4mo

Offering a musical love letter to the sounds of their youth and a torch for the queer youth, Pale Waves may not be the most original, inventive band in the world, but these songs are timeless; ‘Who Am I?’ could have come out at any point in the last 25 years and hit just as hard.

4mo

Who Am I? may be a sidestep on their journey to individuality — distancing themselves from comparisons to The 1975 by emulating Avril Lavigne isn’t exactly a foolproof plan — but for a band still early in their career, it’s another definite confirmation of their potential until they eventually carve out a niche of their own.

4mo

‘Who Am I?’ is an often thoughtful and moving listen, one that displays a band finding some much-needed comfort in the familiar.

4mo

You get the sense they’re still not quite certain who or what they want to be. But they’re definitely headed in the right direction.

4mo

Pale Waves could have simply replicated the tried and tested sound of album one, but Who Am I feels like a much more honest representation of who they are.

3mo

The Manchester quartet is still stuck as an imitation act, but their love for 2000s-era singer-songwriter pop—and their star potential—comes through.

4mo

Pale Waves should secure another top-10 hit and cement their position as one of the few current guitar bands that resonate with a young, 21st-century audience.

4mo

Pale Waves bring little more than the fundamentals on their sophomore album.

4mo

Despite the album’s slick production and radio-ready melodies, one wishes Pale Waves could find a more sophisticated language to express youthful enlightenment.

4mo

These lovelorn English cliché jockeys offer a clunky mix of late-Nineties easy listening and 2000s emo pop.

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wolf haley

instead of collaborating with a slew of producers for the various songs, as pale waves did on their first record, they work with one main producer for their second effort. this results in ‘who am i?’ being more consistent than ‘my mind makes noises’.

the 2021 record takes up less time than its predecessor, as the average track is much shorter this go around. the brevity aids the songs’ pop structure, as the instrumentation becomes more together and tight. ... read more

4mo*

chutbarn

If the real Avril Lavigne were alive she’d be pissed right about now

4mo

Davibitt1234

“Who am I?” começa bem com 3 boas musicas mas depois da terceira faixa o álbum piora drasticamente com musicas superproduzidas e que parecem cópias de musica de outras bandas/cantores pop rock.

Não há quase nada de muito interessante aqui, a coisa que mais se destaca são os vocais, mas até nisso é um álbum sem identidade pois o tempo inteiro a vocalista parece tentar copiar o estilo de outros artistas.

Change-7.2/10 ... read more

3mo

✧*☆: * ☆ marvelgaryen

You know one thing I've learned but it's not necessarily a rule?
Sometimes bands that have a bad/medium debut album and then the sophomore is great, the future is usually promising.
Pale Waves are a group that I discovered two years ago randomly on a youtube ad and suddenly fell in love with their song 'Television Romance', some time passed and after I got stuck on the replay with the one, they debuted and I got REALLY disappointed cause the album was trash honestly.
I guess they finally ... read more

4mo

Micky T

The UK Pop Rock band Pale Waves sophomore album 'Who Am I?' tries to do what a lot of other artists in recent memory have been doing and attempts to bring a nostalgic sound to the modern music landscape... but it lacks in many ways. The band attempt to bring the mid 2000's to the early 2020's with pop rock influences from the likes of Avril Lavigne and to some degree Paramore but where other artists added their own spin, fresh ideas and great performances, Pale Waves boils it down into a ... read more

3mo*

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